More needs to be done to protect the health of air travellers, doctors have
warned.
Some two billion people fly every year – many of them business travellers –
yet they are not protected by regulated standards of healthcare or medical
advice, said the British Medical Association (BMA).
Airlines often rely on the fact that statistically it is likely there will
be a doctor or other medical personnel on a plane, or offering only basic
medical training to cabin crew.
This means the standard of medical training varied, as did the quality of
equipment carried aboard aeroplanes.
Its report, The Impact of Flying on Passenger Health: a guide for healthcare
professionals, highlighted specific issues for which OH and others needed to be
wary. These included cabin pressure and jet-lag, and conditions such as deep
vein thrombosis, where there was a lack of research.
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