Confidential Medical reporting

[2022]

Is there a discreet way to raise concerns about an individual's medical fitness—perhaps through Transport Canada—without necessarily initiating a formal or identifiable process?

[digits_]

Is there a discreet way to raise concerns about an individual's medical fitness—perhaps through Transport Canada—without necessarily initiating a formal or identifiable process?

Wouldn't anything that involves the government be, by definition, a formal process?

You could try to SMS it if it's a colleague you're concerned about.

[perlgerl]

About 10 years ago, while at a medical exam with my CAME, I mentioned a local flight instructor's struggles with recurring kidney stones and having a heart stent installed. I suspect the CAME reported it. For which I am very grateful.

[2022]

I initially attempted to address the matter through the CAME, but the responsibility was redirected back to me, with a suggestion to speak directly with the individual involved. It appeared that the CAME was unwilling to engage in the situation. While I could consider escalating the issue through SMS, the interpersonal dynamics within our team make this route problematic. If the SM or Chief were to confront him, it’s highly likely he would be able to deduce that the concern originated from me, which could negatively affect crew cohesion and working relationships.

[CpnCrunch]

Possibly an anonymous letter or phone call to the Civil Aviation Medicine contact for your region, giving enough detail to let them know it's genuine, without giving away your identity:

https://tc.canada.ca/en/aviation/civil- ... ts-offices

After that, you've done your bit, and it's up to TC as to whether or not they take it further.

[mmm...bacon]

Maybe have an awkward-but-necessary conversation with the individual involved before dropping a (potentially carer-ending?) dime on them at Transport?

[2022]

Bacon, you're not wrong, but knowing this individual, I know it will be met with lots of gaslighting and lies. If I go the anonymous route with TC, and have reported the health issues that I am seeing and have admitted to, then it should not be an issue with them because everything is being done with integrity. However, I have my suspicions that it is not, and would not mind being proven wrong in this case.

[altiplano]

Are you a doctor?

No?

Does the individual hold a medical?

Yes?

Has the individual demonstrated proficiency? Holds a valid rating/ppc/current on type etc? And is doing their job?

Yes?

Then it's none of your business. In fact it's harassment going after someone like that.

Kick rocks.

[TeePeeCreeper]

Are you a doctor?

No?

Does the individual hold a medical?

Yes?

Has the individual demonstrated proficiency? Holds a valid rating/ppc/current on type etc? And is doing their job?

Yes?

Then it's none of your business. In fact it's harassment going after someone like that.

Kick rocks.

Yup. And anyone that truly thinks TC will field anonymous claims beyond a polite acknowledgment are mistaken.

TPC

[digits_]

Are you a doctor?

No?

Does the individual hold a medical?

Yes?

Has the individual demonstrated proficiency? Holds a valid rating/ppc/current on type etc? And is doing their job?

Yes?

Then it's none of your business. In fact it's harassment going after someone like that.

Kick rocks.

That's a bit too easy. If you think someone is unfit to fly, it's your duty to report it.
It's easy enough to lie on your medical.

How would you react if this pilot went flying on the weekends single pilot and crashed and killed 3 passengers due to a serious medical issue that he was hiding but you knew about?

It's not black and white.

[2022]

Digits, you nailed it. In aviation medicine, it’s unbelievably easy to gloss over—or flat-out omit—critical health details when your exam lives on paper. My GP’s office has an electronic health record that stitches together every lab result, specialist note, and medication detail into one searchable file. In contrast, a CAME appointment is still a stack of handwritten forms and clipped-together charts that rarely get cross-checked against hospital records or pharmacy logs.

That gap creates a perfect blind spot. Someone can answer “no” to a few pointed questions, sign off on a dodgy form, and walk away without anyone ever knowing they’ve downplayed serious issues—whether it’s recurring migraines, high blood pressure, or an ongoing mental-health struggle. Believe me, if everyone here saw the inconsistencies and half-buried reports I’ve come across, they wouldn’t just murmur concerns—they’d be shouting from the rooftops.

[altiplano]

Are you a doctor?

No?

Does the individual hold a medical?

Yes?

Has the individual demonstrated proficiency? Holds a valid rating/ppc/current on type etc? And is doing their job?

Yes?

Then it's none of your business. In fact it's harassment going after someone like that.

Kick rocks.

That's a bit too easy. If you think someone is unfit to fly, it's your duty to report it.
It's easy enough to lie on your medical.

How would you react if this pilot went flying on the weekends single pilot and crashed and killed 3 passengers due to a serious medical issue that he was hiding but you knew about?

It's not black and white.

Are you a doctor?

Do you think you're more knowledgeable than the doctor that examined him and approved him? Know better than the check airman that qualified him?

@#$! your hypotheticals. This is a Karen sticking their nose where it doesn't belong, I've seen a dozen pilots like this that think they're duty is to judge everyone on everything when it's them that doesn't know shit.

[digits_]

Are you a doctor?

Do you think you're more knowledgeable than the doctor that examined him and approved him? Know better than the check airman that qualified him?

@#$! your hypotheticals. This is a Karen sticking their nose where it doesn't belong, I've seen a dozen pilots like this that think they're duty is to judge everyone on everything when it's them that doesn't know shit.

Wow.

No I'm not a doctor. Do you honestly think an aviation doctor will catch everything? That it's impossible, or even hard, to hide things?

I doubt we're talking about being one kilogram overweight, or having a blood pressure that's slightly high.

These are not hypotheticals. If you need to take control during flight because your fellow pilot becomes incapacitated and it reveals a medical issue that he knew about but didn't report, are you just going to go 'ah well, none of my business'? That's not a hypothetical. It has happened in a company I worked at.