Fitness Tests For India's Foreign Pilots.

[willedoo]

Flying fit abroad, but are unfit here

 

Mumbai: Six expatriate pilots of a low-cost airline have failed Indian medical tests in the last few weeks. The tests, which were only being taken by Indian pilots, have now been made mandatory for foreign pilots employed with the country's airlines to ensure common medical standards among cockpit crew.

 

"The pilots were declared temporarily unfit and have been told to undergo additional tests. They could be grounded for weeks or months," a source said. In the coming months, all the 400-odd foreign pilots employed in India and those planning to take up employment will have to undergo the tests conducted by Indian Air Force (IAF) doctors. The common vein in the Indian airline industry is that many foreign pilots will fail these tests though it does not mean that they are generally unhealthy.

 

"The high failure rate among expatriates will prove that India follows unrealistically stringent medical standards," a senior commander said. "Our commercial pilots are measured with the yardstick used for combat-ready IAF pilots who fly Sukhois and MiGs," he said, adding that perhaps only in India annual medical tests for civilian pilots are carried out by defence personnel.

 

"Many foreign pilots who have been declared medically fit in their home countries, like the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Serbia, Australia and Thailand, will find themselves deemed unfit by India," he added.

 

A commander pointed out: "Most countries have a list of approved drugs for conditions like hypertension and insulin-treated diabetes. The doctors handle it on a case-to-case basis. Foreign pilots with hypertension and diabetes can fly if their condition is well under control."

 

He said India did not have a list of approved drugs.

 

09/03/11 Manju V/Times of India