JRG67

Yes. Lots of doctors in Sweden only work limited hours a week, as the taxes are so high, that after earning a certain amount, it no longer is profitable to work longer hours.

I think that part of the reason that so many Americans are very conformist and conventional, is to do with the fact that many of them attended summer camps as children, and succumbed to peer pressure.

Interestingly enough, I have discovered that none of my close American friends have ever attended summer camps more than once!

kodokan

So which is it - a completely pointless CYA procedure checking scarcely anything that can't be deduced by simply looking at a person, or a deep, probing investigation that will result in 'personal, confidential information'?

Anyway, I imagine this whole discussion is moot, as you're surely not allowing your son to be taken away to the woods overnight by an organisation with such a dubious track record in child protection.

scrubbedexpat097

Yorkieabroad

Things must have changed since I was in Scouts in the UK back in the 1970's. Then there was a loco parentis form that had to be signed for anyone going to camp. On the back was a very brief questionairre about medical history, and a space for my doctor to sign saying I was healthy. We didn't need a specific medical for it as far as I recall, but mam used to take us annually to see Doctor Campbell. (He was a nice man - he used to give me a lollipop after he'd checked me out.....oh crap.....think I may need some threapy now...) I honestly don't know if that was a Boy Scout requirement, or just our scoutleaders being careful. If its no longer required, I would consider that a retrograde step, rather than an improvement - doesn't seem to sit well with "Be Prepared". We had a similar form for School Ski Trips as well. To be honest, I'd have serious reservations about sending my son away on a 1-2 week camp with anybody, without them asking about any pre-existing medical conditions, allergies etc...

If you're not comfortable with the medical requirements, why not try a different camp, or switch to something like the YMCA program..Indian Chiefs or whatever. But I'd be amazed if they didn't require something similar.

zululady

wow and i thought Africa was a place to be scared of,our Boy Scouts dont need a medical not even a check up to go on camps,even out the country,all we sign is an indemnity that if anything happens we are responsible
sounds very OTT if you ask me
p.s I run a Troop of 40+ boys in South Africa

Yorkieabroad

Do you mean you as a Troop leader are responsible? Why on earth would you sign that?

Or do you mean you as a parent are responsible? Why on earth would you send your kid away with other adults without wanting to make them aware of any medical issues. And by medical issues, that doesn't just mean whether they are diabetic or have a hole in the heart - it could be something as simple as whether their tetanus shots are up to date, or if they are allergic to bandaids.

dlake02

Well, given that I had a long and detailed reply from one of the leaders telling me all the ails of BSA, how they had no choice but to "comply" or be denied insurance and therefore even basic medical assistance should anything go wrong, and how wrong and bad that is, I suspect that I am not alone in thinking this is a pile of pony.

So, I will do the bare minimum we can get away with, making sure, as I do every 6 months anyway, that my son is the correct height and weight for his age.

IF this camp was being run by the Texan gun-toting neo-cons/Errr sorry, BSA, directly, there is no way I'd be associated with the organisation. However, as I put it before, both our Troop and the local Council here have told BSA to F-off, and consequently we have a very normal, very good multi-cultural, Troop.

zululady

i mean the parent is responsible. Here in SA you dont need tetanus shots, they complete a health liability form stating what medical condition their child currently has & any medication they are on. The onus is on the parent.
then again we do not have govt medical scheme we pay for private medical aid so if there are any issues we take them straight to a pvt hospital & they are treated under the scheme

dlake02

Nah - America is more scary. You've only got wild animals with teeth and venom.

Here, you've got idiots with guns with their "rights" enshrined by law.

It is a very scary place.

zululady

to add here, in all my 8+ years in the Scout Movement ive only had one broken arm & i case of sunstroke, so i guess the boys are pretty healthy.
if i was a parent in the US i would also be peturbed to now have to have a full medical, since the Movement is about kids having fun whilst learning and this tends to leave a bad taste in ones mouth about the red tape.
good luck

zululady

i wouldnt say sA is a scary place to live, you just have to be aware of your surroundings and not tempt crime. Our Scouts hike all over SA and are quite safe, never heard of one patrol ever being attacked.

dlake02

1/4 of my family is from SA. Left in the 70s and were not able to return for several years - I'lly you work the rest out ....

The idiots are NOT is SA ! The idiots I was referring to are in the US. SA is a LOT less scary than Oakland, San Jose, SF on a weekend evening. Some of those most scary are the Police themselves.

AmerLisa

Ever?

AmerLisa

Maybe that's where you should go next, dlake! Apparently they don't need tetanus either!

zululady

only if you get bitten by an animal mainly dogs in the rural areas
otherwise tetanus is not a required vaccine.