Exercises Doctrine

Soldier Health | Front-Line Guardians of Officers' and Soldiers' Health

军人健康丨官兵健康的一线守护者

PLA Daily (解放军报) 24 May 2026

Summary

A PLA Navy unit (designation withheld) has restructured its grassroots medical support (卫勤工作) around four integrated functions — tactical combat casualty care, injury prevention, psychological services via a company-and-battalion 'psychological services grid' (心理服务网格), and sports rehabilitation — with medics cross-trained in traditional Chinese medicine, psychological counseling, and physical therapy to reduce recovery time and return injured personnel to duty faster. The article documents an institutional push to reframe the grassroots medic's role from reactive treatment provider to a 'versatile practitioner' (多面手) embedded in the combat-effectiveness chain, a framing that fits the broader PLA effort to close the gap between medical support doctrine and field-unit practice. The after-action feedback loop described — front-line medics driving equipment modifications such as waterproof first-aid kits — is the most concrete detail the article provides on how that gap is being addressed at unit level.

Translation

Grassroots Medics — Front-Line Guardians of Officers' and Soldiers' Health

■ PLA Daily Reporter Sun Xingwei, Special Correspondent Chen Mingyang

Grassroots medics are the front-line guardians of officers' and soldiers' health. Where does the focus of grassroots medical support work (卫勤工作) lie in the new era? How should the duties and mission of medics be calibrated and positioned? Carrying these questions, reporters conducted in-depth research at a certain PLA Navy unit. The answer gradually became clear: the "energy" of grassroots medics must be riveted to the "health chain" of combat effectiveness — preventing illness in peacetime, providing medical care in wartime.

A qualified grassroots medic is both a medical responder and a combatant. If a medic wants to pull a comrade back from a hail of bullets, he must first preserve himself and be able to push forward.

In the early hours of the morning, in a certain sea area, a confrontation exercise got underway. After receiving a report of a "casualty," medic Xiao Nong waded forward, encountered an "enemy situation" alert en route, and submerged to maintain silence in accordance with tactical requirements. Upon reaching the "casualty," he immediately completed pressure bandaging, splint immobilization, and other procedures, and the "casualty" was assessed as successfully treated. But during the after-action review, the exercise control group pointed out that Xiao Nong's submersion movements were distorted and his evasion route was exposed — in actual combat, both he and the "casualty" might not have made it back.

"Know how to give medical care but not how to fight, and you're a target on the battlefield."

The battalion commander's words at the after-action review gave everyone present pause. Medics ordinarily train in "carrying people while running and bandaging quickly," but on the battlefield the first requirement is to "reach the casualty alive." Drawing on this experience, the unit broke down tactical movements and integrated them into the emergency treatment process.

The shift in thinking was quickly validated in realistic combat exercises. In a subsequent nighttime mountain search-and-destroy exercise, medic Xiao Wang received a signal for a "mine blast injury," with the "casualty" located at the edge of a simulated artillery coverage zone. He used low-profile crawling and tactical bounding to evade fire, and in dim lighting completed casualty assessment, hemorrhage control and bandaging, and "casualty" evacuation — the entire process in conformity with tactical standards. After the exercise, this procedure was compiled into a lesson plan and disseminated throughout the entire brigade.

At the after-action review following the exercise, the medics also raised improvement suggestions regarding problems encountered during maritime rescue — first-aid kits easily becoming waterlogged and wound dressing packages being difficult to tear open when wet: use waterproof materials for first-aid kits, add quick-tear seals to wound dressing packages, and so on. This front-line feedback drove targeted improvements to individual soldier first-aid equipment.

Grassroots units operate in diverse field training environments and under high training intensity; training injuries are unavoidable. Injury and illness prevention is the top priority of grassroots medical support work.

"As a medic, you can't only be a 'fire brigade' — you also have to be a good 'advance sentinel.'" So said medic Xiao Zhang. Before field training last summer, Xiao Zhang prepared a Field Training Medical Support Plan in advance and stocked up on oral rehydration salts, cooling sprays, and other supplies. During the training period, his Field Training Health Monitoring Handbook filled up with officers' and soldiers' physical indicators, training durations, and health conditions. When one soldier showed prodromal heat stroke symptoms after training, Xiao Zhang immediately moved him to a shaded area, used cooling spray to lower his temperature, and administered oral rehydration salts, effectively alleviating the symptoms.

The strength of an individual medic is limited. To address this, the unit issued portable vital signs monitoring equipment, enabling medics to grasp officers' and soldiers' physical condition in real time and forming an injury and illness prevention process of "collection — early warning — intervention," which caused the training injury rate to drop significantly. During every training break, medic Xiao Liu uses monitoring equipment to collect heart rate and body temperature data from officers and soldiers; whenever he finds personnel with abnormal indicators, he promptly reminds them to adjust their training intensity.

In addition, the unit incorporated "medical support special situations (卫勤特情)" — such as toxic insect bites and food poisoning — into exercise control sessions, combining the actual environment and weather conditions of the exercise area, so that medics and commanders jointly assess and study preventive countermeasures. Targeting the characteristics of different regions and training subjects, the unit formulated routine health protection plans and gradually established a scientific protection system.

One grassroots troop leader remarked with feeling: "Prevention now has a basis, and everyone feels more confident. One fewer officer or soldier injured means one more measure of combat effectiveness for the unit."

III

"Your eyes need to look not just at wounds and illness, but also at everyone's 'spirit.'" This plain-spoken remark by Xiao Chen, a medic in a certain company, captures the essence of psychological services.

"My concentration during training has been off lately." After training ended, a soldier sought out medic Xiao Chen, his tone carrying anxiety. Xiao Chen sat him down, listened patiently, and offered earnest guidance.

"Guarding our comrades' psychological line of defense is also guarding combat effectiveness." Xiao Chen said. If emotional fluctuations are not channeled in a timely manner, they continuously drain energy — not only can they easily manifest as insomnia and loss of appetite, they can also lead to scattered attention, slowed reactions, and may even affect battlefield judgment and decision-making.

Facing high-stress environments such as field training and far-sea missions, the unit established a company-and-battalion "psychological services grid (心理服务网格)" dynamic management mechanism. The grid uses medics, ideological backbone personnel, security committee members, and company commanders as key nodes: medics serve as "advance observers," attending to officers' and soldiers' emotional fluctuations during routine sick calls; ideological backbone personnel and security committee members serve as "coordinated responders," providing timely support; company commanders serve as "resource coordinators," organizing activities in an integrated manner. Information flows between nodes, forming a closed loop of "observation — reporting — handling," making psychological services a systematic guarantee with established procedures and clear responsibilities.

Before a cross-regional field training deployment, a certain company's medic Xiao Li reviewed health records to identify personnel requiring priority attention. During the training period, he used sick-call rounds and rest intervals to monitor their emotional states. During rest periods, he joined squad and platoon groups to listen to what was on everyone's mind; when he saw a soldier in low spirits, he would go over and ask a few more questions; at night, if someone was tossing and turning, he would go over for a quiet chat; when he encountered problems he could not resolve, he would promptly report them to the company through the "psychological services grid," and the company would accordingly organize stress-relief activities and establish channels for soldiers to express themselves.

"We made medics the front-line force for psychological services precisely because they are closest to the officers and soldiers. Their empathy and care carry more warmth than purely theoretical instruction." So said one grassroots political cadre.

Units carry heavy training tasks with many subjects; shoulder cuff injuries, lumbar disc herniation, and other training injuries occur from time to time. How to ensure that injured personnel not only recover but also return to their combat positions quickly? To solve this problem, the unit focused on elevating medics' professional capabilities, driving a role transition from "symptomatic treatment" to primary-care practitioners capable of "treating both symptoms and root causes (标本兼治)."

The experience of directly recruited non-commissioned officer medic Xiao Zhao is a microcosm of this transition. As a medical school graduate, the unit fully leveraged his strengths, encouraging him to build on his mastery of battlefield emergency care techniques and cross into sports rehabilitation, traditional Chinese medicine physical therapy, psychological counseling, and other skills. He discovered that the root cause of many training injuries lay in improper posture or incomplete recovery. Accordingly, his work shifted from "treating the injured" to "finding the root cause" and "preventing recurrence." For common training injuries, he draws comprehensively on physical examination, rehabilitation training, and traditional Chinese medicine techniques to formulate individualized plans for comrades, helping injured comrades return to their combat positions quickly.

Xiao Zhao's growth is not an isolated case. The unit also regularly invites experts from affiliated hospitals to conduct thematic lectures, and selects outstanding medics for rotational training and advanced study at academies and hospitals, systematically elevating medics' professional capabilities. Medic Xiao Wang, who has worked at the grassroots level for eight years, through long-term study alongside experts from affiliated hospitals, has compiled a complete set of rehabilitation plans for conditions such as lumbar muscle strain and ankle sprains, established rehabilitation records for key personnel, and conducts regular follow-up and adjustments. At the same time, he regularly holds small health classes, personally teaching comrades correct training postures and rehabilitation methods.

Today, the unit's medics are transitioning from traditional treatment providers into "versatile practitioners (多面手)" with capabilities in primary-level diagnosis and treatment, sports rehabilitation, and health management. This transition means that grassroots medical support is no longer limited to handling injuries and illness, but instead maximally restores and maintains officers' and soldiers' combat readiness.

From battlefield casualty care to daily health protection, from physical and psychological care to professional advancement, the practice of this unit's grassroots medics tells us: their "energy" must ultimately be applied to the fundamental starting point of elevating and consolidating the unit's combat effectiveness.

Original Chinese

基层卫生员—— 官兵健康的一线守护者 ■解放军报记者孙兴维特约记者陈铭杨基层卫生员是官兵健康的一线守护者。新时代基层卫勤工作的重心在哪里？卫生员的职责使命该如何校准定位？带着这些问题，记者深入海军某部展开调研。答案逐渐清晰：基层卫生员的“劲”要铆在战斗力“健康链”上——平时能防病，战时能救护。一一名合格的基层卫生员，既是救护员，也是战斗员。卫生员要想在枪林弹雨中抢回战友，必须先保全自身、冲得上去。凌晨某海域，一场对抗演练拉开帷幕。卫生员小农接到“伤员”通报后涉水前出，途中遇“敌情”警报，按战术要求下潜静默。抵达“伤员”身边后，他立即完成加压包扎、夹板固定等操作，“伤员”被判定为成功救治。但复盘时导调组指出小农下潜动作变形、规避路线暴露，如果是实战，他和“伤员”可能都回不来。 “会救护，不会打仗，上了战场就是靶子。” 某营营长在复盘会上的话，令在场人员深思。卫生员平时练的是“背人跑、包扎快”，但战场上首先要“活着到达伤员身边”。基于此次经验，该部把战术动作拆解融进急救流程。理念的转变很快在实战化演练中得到验证。在随后展开的夜间山地搜剿演练中，卫生员小王接到“触雷炸伤”信号，“伤员”处于模拟炮火覆盖区边缘。他以低姿匍匐、战术跃进的方式规避火力，在昏暗光线下完成伤情判断、止血包扎、“伤员”转移，全程贴合战术规范。演练结束后，这套流程被整理成教案在全旅推广。演练后的复盘会上，卫生员们还针对海上救援时急救包易浸水、急救包扎包遇水不易撕开等问题提出改进建议：使用防水材料的急救包、为急救包扎包增设快撕封口……这些来自一线的反馈，推动了单兵急救装具的针对性改良。二基层部队驻训环境多样、训练强度较大，训练伤不可避免。伤病预防，是基层卫勤工作的重中之重。 “作为卫生员，不能只当‘消防队’，还要当好‘前哨兵’。” 卫生员小张说。去年夏天野外驻训前，小张提前制订了《驻训卫勤保障方案》，并备足补液盐、降温喷雾等物资。驻训期间，他的《驻训健康监测手册》记满了官兵的身体指标、训练时长与健康状况。一名战士训练后出现先兆中暑症状，小张第一时间将其转移至阴凉处，用降温喷雾降温、喂服补液盐，有效缓解了症状。卫生员个人的力量是有限的。为此，该部配发了便携式生命体征监测设备，让卫生员能实时掌握官兵身体状态，形成“采集—预警—干预”的伤病预防流程，使训练伤发生率显著下降。每次训练间隙，卫生员小刘会用监测设备采集官兵心率、体温数据，一旦发现指标异常的官兵，会及时提醒他们调整训练强度。此外，该部在演练导调环节，结合演练区域实际环境和天气情况，增设毒虫叮咬、食物中毒等“卫勤特情”，让卫生员与指挥员共同研判预防对策；针对不同地域和课目特点，制订常态化健康防护计划，逐步建立科学的防护体系。一位基层带兵人感慨：“预防有了依据，大家心里更有底了。少一名官兵受伤，部队就多一分战斗力。” 三 “眼睛不光要看伤看病，也要留意大家的‘神’。”某连卫生员小陈这句朴实的话，道出了心理服务的真谛。 “我最近训练注意力不集中。”训练结束后，一名战士找到卫生员小陈，语气中带着焦虑。小陈拉着他坐下，耐心倾听，认真开导。 “守护好战友们的心理防线，也是在守护战斗力。”小陈说。情绪波动若得不到及时疏导，会持续消耗精力，不仅容易出现失眠、食欲不振等表现，还可能导致注意力涣散、反应迟钝，甚至影响战场判断与决策。面对野外驻训、远海任务等高压力环境，该部建立了营连“心理服务网格”动态管理机制。网格以卫生员、思想骨干、保卫委员、连主官为关键节点：卫生员是“前哨观察员”，在日常巡诊中关注官兵情绪波动；思想骨干和保卫委员是“联动响应员”，及时提供支持；连主官是“资源协调员”，统筹组织活动。节点间信息互通，形成“观察—上报—处理”闭环，使心理服务成为一套有章可循、责任清晰的制度性保障。跨区驻训前，某连卫生员小李通过调阅健康档案，梳理出需重点关注的官兵。驻训期间，他利用巡诊和休息间隙关注他们的情绪状态。休息时，他凑到班排里听大家说说心里话；看到战士状态低沉，就上前多问两句；夜里有人辗转反侧，过去轻声聊聊；遇到无法解决的问题，他便迅速通过“心理服务网格”向连队报告，连队据此组织解压活动、设置倾诉渠道。 “我们让卫生员成为心理服务的一线力量，就是因为他们离官兵最近。他们的共情与关怀，比单纯的理论说教更有温度。”一位基层政治干部说。四部队训练任务重、课目多，肩袖损伤、腰椎间盘突出等训练伤时有发生。如何让伤员不仅能治好病，还能快速回归战位？为破解这一难题，该部着力提升卫生员的专业能力，推动其角色从“对症处置”向“标本兼治”的初级诊疗者转变。直招军士卫生员小赵的经历，正是这一转型的缩影。作为医学专业毕业生，单位充分发挥其特长，鼓励他在掌握战场急救技术的基础上，跨领域学习运动康复、中医理疗、心理疏导等技能。他发现，很多训练伤根源在于姿势不当或恢复不全。于是，他的工作重心从“治伤员”转向“找根源”“防复发”。针对常见的训练伤，他综合运用体格检查、康复训练及中医手法，为战友们制订个性化方案，帮助出现伤痛的战友快速重返战位。小赵的成长并非个例。该部还定期邀请体系医院专家开展专题讲座，选派优秀卫生员到院校、医院轮训进修，系统提升卫生员专业能力。在基层工作8年的卫生员小王，通过长期跟随体系医院专家学习，针对腰肌劳损、踝关节扭伤等梳理出一整套康复方案，并为重点人员建立康复档案，定期跟踪调整。同时，他还定期开展健康小课堂，手把手教战友正确的训练姿势和康复方法。如今，该部卫生员正从传统的处置者，向具备初级诊疗、运动康复、健康管理能力的“多面手”转变。这种转变，让基层卫勤保障不仅限于处理伤病，而是最大限度恢复和保持官兵的战斗力状态。从战场救护到日常防护，从身心关怀到专业精进，该部基层卫生员的实践告诉我们：他们的“劲”，最终要使在提升和巩固部队战斗力这个根本出发点上。