In collaboration with Changi General Hospital, CAAS is advancing aviation medicine1 specialist care by setting up the Changi Aviation Medicine Centre (CAMC) - the first aviation medicine centre established within a government restructured hospital.
The CAMC represents a synergistic collaboration between two key sectors in Singapore – aviation and medicine, and aims to better cater to the unique medical needs of aviation professionals by providing holistic medical services for pilots, air traffic controllers and other aviation professionals.
The CAMC was launched by Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Transport & Ministry of Health at Changi General Hospital on 11 June 2019.
The Need for a “Centre of Excellence” in Aviation Medicine
Speaking at the launch, Dr Lam highlighted the need for a "centre of excellence" in aviation medicine. "With the anticipated traffic growth, we need to provide better support for aviation professionals who are at the centre of the aviation enterprise," he said. "Aviation professionals need to cope with and adapt to increasing complexity, workload and pressures. Each vocation faces unique sets of work demands and stress." In this regard, the CAMC will consolidate the expertise of aviation medicine specialists, all of whom have expertise in other disciplines such as psychiatry, cardiology and mental health, to provide the aviation professionals with "holistic care", said Dr Lam.
For example, the CAMC will carry out medical examinations customised for the industry, such as vision tests for pilots, as well as programmes for sleep disorder and fatigue management. Medicine given to pilots will not have significant side effects that could affect their job, such as dizziness and drowsiness. There will also be help for older workers, and a new programme to treat alcohol use disorder will also be available at the centre. CAMC director Dr Brian See added that CGH plans to appoint more visiting consultants who are qualified in aviation medicine.
Making a Difference to the Aviation Sector
The CAMC aims to make a difference to the aviation sector in three key areas:
1) Providing customised clinical care for aviation professionals
Through the CAMC, complex aviation medicine consulting and coordinated care will be made available to help enhance medical services for aviation professionals. This is extremely relevant in areas where highly customised care is required, such as mental health interventions and where the development of new treatment methods is so rapid that treatments might not be compatible with risk considerations of critical jobs in the aviation industry.
2) Enhancing operational safety in aviation
The CAMC will support the aviation industry by providing human performance support programmes that enhance operational safety in aviation. The centre will evaluate and treat sleep disorders amongst aviation professionals and help formulate fatigue risk mitigation strategies for individuals as well as companies.
3) Improving standard of patient care for aeromedical evacuations
Additionally, the CAMC aims to help to improve the standard of patient care for aeromedical evacuations. The CAMC will serve as the multidisciplinary resource to provide specialised training in aeromedical evacuation and its management for healthcare personnel involved in these roles.
CAMC gains industry support
SFO Kelvin Kwan, IFALPA Director from the Air Line Pilots Association - Singapore expressed support for the CAMC, saying that "Pilots face unique challenges at work, and some of the most pertinent and common issues faced in the normal course of work are sleep and fatigue issues, and their effects on health. In Singapore, there are doctors who are designated aviation medical examiners who are trained to understand the unique medical requirements and issues faced by pilots, but the CAMC brings together the resources from different medical fields to strengthen the health and safety of our aviation community."
1Aviation medicine is the specialty concerned with the health, safety and performance of aviation personnel, including pilots, air crew and air traffic controllers.