I can fly light aircraft, therefore I can anaesthetise?

doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7530.1476-b

BMJ 2005;331:1476 (17 December), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7530.1476-b

Letter

I can fly light aircraft, therefore I can anaesthetise?

EDITOR—I suspect that the reason that commercial pilotsand lorry or coach drivers are more regulated than doctors inrespect of fitness to perform their duties is that one majormistake kills more people.¹

Strict regulation does not apply to the pilots of light aircraftor gliders carrying passengers. It is up to pilots on a dayto day basis to judge their fitness to carry out the complextasks that flying entails.

It does not seem unreasonable that the same principle shouldapply to doctors.

Gordon Pledger, retired anaesthetist

Morpeth, Northumberland NE61 3PN gordonpledger{at}doctors.org.uk

Competing interests: GP is an ex-anaesthetist and flies lightaircraft and gliders.