ICAO’s Aviation Medicine Section plays a crucial role in setting and maintaining international civil aviation standards through its oversight of medical provisions outlined in Annex 1 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation. Within their responsibilities, they keep provisions up-to-date, manage the Collaborative Arrangement for the Prevention and Management of public health events in Civil Aviation (CAPSCA) programme for the prevention and management of public health events in civil aviation, and provide guidance to medical examiners and assessors on the interpretation and application of medical requirements.
The Aviation Medicine section is responsible for editing key documents like the Manual of Civil Aviation Medicine (Doc 8984) and they contribute to the development of SARPs and guidance material for preparedness planning in aviation during public health crises and other emergencies. Furthermore, the Aviation Medicine Section offers guidance to licensing authorities in Contracting States and actively engage in knowledge-sharing activities, including regional seminars, educational sessions, and presentations at international aviation medicine scientific meetings.
The 3rd Aviation Medical Examiner Refresher Workshop which preceded the 16th CAPSCA-AP meeting was held on 13 – 14 November 2023 at the ICAO APAC Regional Office with logistical support from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand.
There were 106 participants from 14 APAC States/Administrations present at the two-day Workshop which was facilitated by Dr. Ansa Jordaan, Chief, ICAO Aviation Medicine Section. She provided useful updates from ICAO including a discussion on aviation medicine related ICAO’s Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) Continuous Monitoring Approach (CMA) protocol questions. The workshop also included case studies and presentations from the participating States which provided an interactive atmosphere for exchange of knowledge between the Aviation Medical Examiners and served well to improve the personnel licensing medical examination processes in the APAC aviation regulatory bodies.
