Kazakhstan is developing an Institute of aviation medical experts

The aviation industry, as one of the most dynamic and promising sectors of the world economy, is currently able to guarantee the highest level of service and ensure the comfort and safety of passengers at all stages of interaction.

"One of the aspects of flight safety is medical.  Aviation medicine is an industry that studies the impact of environmental conditions and factors of professional activity on the health and performance of aviation specialists in order to increase the efficiency of their work, reduce morbidity, ensure flight safety and extend flight longevity, " said Talgat Lastaev, Chairman of the civil aviation Committee of the Ministry of foreign AFFAIRS of the Republic of Kazakhstan, speaking at the second Republican scientific and practical conference on topical issues of medical safety.

The first conference, which took place in 2017, coincided with the introduction of new medical examination rules that are as close as possible to European standards. Since that time, Kazakhstan has moved from the Commission system of medical and flight examination to the Institute of aviation medical experts on the basis of certified aviation medical centers. There was also some experience in applying the new rules in all areas of aviation medicine-from the examination of air staff to providing assistance to civil aviation passengers.

 This transition was made among the first among the republics of the former USSR. To understand the importance of this decision, we must remember that the Commission system in Kazakhstan in the form of Vlek (medical flight expert Commission) has been in effect for 65 years. During the preparatory period, in 2015-2016, ICAO experts worked in Kazakhstan, who helped in the development of regulatory documents.

Today, there are 180 aviation medical workers in Kazakhstan, including 60 aviation doctors. 9 doctors are international-class aeromedical experts (AME). In 2018, 4148 employees of aviation personnel were examined in two aviation medical centers (Nur-Sultan and Almaty): pilots, air traffic controllers, and flight attendants.  We are talking only about the examination, when the pilot is closely examined in the aviation medical center, after which a decision is made about his suitability for work for a certain period. Already on the "approaches" to the pilot's profession, the candidate begins to understand that this is the profession of the "chosen ones", since many people who want to become pilots could not pass a medical examination. In addition, numerous pre-flight and pre-shift commissions operate daily at airports to keep passengers calm while in the sky.

Kazakhstan has trained aviation medical experts in grades 1 and 2. Training was organized and conducted at fly level in 2015 (Bucharest). In addition, doctors studied and improved their skills by participating in the annual ICAO international conferences on aviation medicine (2013-Bucharest, 2015-Oxford, 2016-Oslo, 2018-Bangkok); participated in events organized annually by IAC - Moscow (2014, 2017, 2018), Minsk (2016), Yerevan (2018).