I have found this and translated it from Dutch to English. It is an eye opening and quite detailed account of what happens to all school aged children in Dutch speaking part of Belgium up to the age of 15……
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Medical examinations at the CLB
In mid-October 2009, the CLBs once again made the front page of some newspapers. Extensive attention was also paid on radio and TV to the way in which medical examinations are carried out in the CLB. The Flemish Schools' Dome mapped out a number of abuses. The reactions of students and parents to this press article were diverse: some had negative memories, others had personally experienced that these studies are important.
As a result of this, it seemed useful to us to once again list a number of matters about medical research.
The medical examinations in the 1st and 2nd years of kindergarten, in the 1st, 3rd and 5th years of grade school, and in the 1st and 3rd years of secondary school are compulsory.
Students in the 2nd year of kindergarten, 5th year of grade school, and the 1st and 3rd years of secondary school come to the CLB during school hours (for most schools this is by bus). For the other examinations, the nurse comes to the school (in the 1st grade together with the doctor).
To be clear: during these medical examinations, your child is not always fully examined. For example, the examination in the 1st kindergarten is limited to measuring and weighing, checking whether your child sees well and checking the eye position. What needs to be investigated is determined by the government.
We do our best to inform both parents and students about the study. We give the students a folder in advance with an explanation of what exactly we will investigate. This is stated on the parent questionnaire for the smallest children.
During the examination, the doctor explains why the genital examination - which is considered the most annoying part of the examination - is so important.
These examinations can detect medical problems in your child at an early stage.
We are thinking of, among other things:
- a lazy eye, which can lead to permanent strabismus or even blindness of the affected eye
- a varicose vein in the testicle, which can cause a decrease in fertility if left untreated
- scoliosis (=lateral curvature of the spine), which can cause a visible hunchback
- a long-term loss of hearing (very important in toddlers), which can cause speech and language delays
In addition, parents are given the opportunity to have their child vaccinated for free. This is possible in the 1st and 5th grade and 1st and 3rd year of secondary. We also check whether your child has received all vaccinations. This prevents your child from becoming seriously ill as a result of one of these infectious diseases.
How does an investigation in our center work?
The students are received in the waiting room, where they are given some explanation of what is going to happen. They are asked to undress in a dressing room. They are allowed to keep their panties and a vest on. They are then each seen in turn by the nurse and then by the doctor. Once in with the doctor they have to take off their shirts; this is especially important to get a good look at their back. Girls are briefly checked in their panties to see if there is already pubic hair.
In boys, it is checked whether the testes have descended nicely, how large they are, and whether there is a varicose vein. We also check whether the foreskin can be pushed back.
After about 30 minutes the examination is over, and the students can get dressed again in the changing room, and can go back to the waiting room. In the course of this circuit it is possible that they pass each other or have to wait together. However, it is impossible that they would encounter students from other schools, as we only examine one group at a time.
For the 2nd toddlers it can happen that the children are taken together in small groups (of 3 or 4). We also offer the possibility to all parents of 2nd toddlers to be present at the medical examination of their child. The examinations of the 1st kindergarten, the the 1st and 3rd grade take place in a classroom that is made available by the school.
We try to do everything we can to make the children as comfortable as possible and to tell them what is happening. We always respect your child's privacy. We remain convinced that a number of important problems would not be identified or would be detected late if the medical examination were not available.
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I’d be interested in hearing from any of our Belgian members on the site who remember undergoing this medical examination!