Health Ministry ready to help with mental screening of pilots – Bernama
The Health Ministry is willing to cooperate with the local airlines if they wish to carry out mental screening tests on pilots, says Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya.
He said the checks (mental screening) were essential to ensure that all pilots were in optimal mental state and did not suffer emotional disturbance, prior to flying.
"However, the initiative should be undertaken by the airline itself, and the ministry is ready to cooperate," he said in Balik Pulau, Penang today.
Dr Hilmi also suggested that the inspection should be done as often as possible, or at least every six months to ensure pilots did not suffer from depression while operating the aircraft.
"Such examination can also ensure the pilots are in stable condition and can prevent a mishap as in the case of the Germanwings plane crash," he said.
Prosecutors believe the Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, 27, locked himself alone in the cockpit of the Airbus A320 on Tuesday and deliberately steered it into a mountain in the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board, reported Reuters. – Bernama, March 29, 2015.
