New Delhi: Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Tuesday said that Air India pilots were making false claims of being sick and not reporting for duty. Singh made the statement after several pilots submitted medical certificates to Air India management even as their strike entered the eighth day on Tuesday, leading to 24 flights being cancelled.
The Minister vented his anger, saying the sick claim was bogus and it was evident from the statement by pilots' association chief that this was a just a ploy to escalate the crisis.
"I and you don't need any medical teams to ascertain they are sick. If they have reported sick but were found fit or not found at their houses as reported in the aviation ministry's medical summary, then the DGCA will take necessary action against them," Singh said.
While Ajit Singh slammed the report, an Air India team visited the homes of the pilots and found that most of them were unavailable at their homes.
Loose motion, vomiting, body ache were found to be the main reasons in the medical reports of the pilots residing at the Hotel Hyatt.
Examples of some medical certificates:
Pilot Captain Biju Krishnan
Medical problem: loose motion, vomiting
Doctor's prescription: Vitals stable, PA-NAD, hydration adequate
Medication: Pleanty of fluids, tablet Oflox TZ
Pilot Captain Anupam Tiwari
Medical Problem: loose motion, vomiting body ache
Doctor's prescription: Vitals stable, Hydration fair
Medication: Tablet Ofloz TZ, plenty of fluids
Pilot Captain Amey Pangam
Medical problem: tooth ache
Doctor's prescription: No swelling
Medication: Tablet Crocin, Reffered to dental surgeon
Pilot Captain KG Rajesh
Medical problem: Low back ache
Doctor's prescription: SLR-negative, Gait normal
Medication: Volini Gel, Tablet Flexon Ortho opinion if pain persists
About 48 out of the 53 Delhi-based pilots who reported sick were not found at home. Their residences were found locked and their mobiles unreachable. Nine out of 18 outstation pilots, who were staying at Hotel Hyatt, complained of bad stomach and backache but doctors found them medically fit. Of the 53 homes visited by doctors, 12 were found locked. When doors were opened, the medical teams were given unclear information.
The pilots have been calling in sick and not reporting for duty in protest against rescheduling of training programme of Dreamliner and issues related to their career progression.
Meanwhile, seven Air India unions in a letter to Ajit Singh have sought an end to the standoff between pilots and management. Seeking Singh's intervention, the Air India unions of engineers, cabin crew, commercial staff, ground staff have blamed the merger for the ongoing crises.
Air India cancelled around 10 international flights from Delhi and Mumbai this morning.####
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