Doctors are increasingly concerned about litigation and are reluctant to give medical help on flights in case things go wrong, according to a report.
The Independent newspaper, quoting a report from the British Medical Association, states that around 1,000 incidents requiring urgent medical assistance are reported each week, but that doctors around the world are increasingly reluctant to get involved in such cases.
The report, The Impact of Flying on Passenger Health, also calls for national and international action by the aviation industry to safeguard the health of passengers. It says that there are no international obligations to provide medical care for passengers at present, and that they should be protected by regulated care.
The Daily Mail concentrates on another recommendation in the report – that doctors should not recommend that passengers take aspirin to prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The report states that some 17,000 passengers would have to take the drug to prevent just one case of DVT – but that one person in 40 would develop “symptoms of irritation” and bleeding in the stomach.
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad
