I think the origonal poster raises the point , that red tape gets in the way of common sense. Yes our crew are trained , yes we have equipment on board bla bla. But again one cannot deny that calling Medilink and having them make the decisions is as much about liability as it is about getting assistance. ie by going through the channels and ticking all the boxes , the liability is passed on to Medilink , whilst valuable minutes tick by.
eg , A mate of mine was doing an upgrade loft and just after pushback (with engines started) , the purser advised they have a person at the back who is not breathing and they are attending to it. He elected to pull back on stand immediately and get medical attention. The TRI crtiticized him for not following procedure , as he should have called Medilink as they are our primary source around these events.
Therefore he would prefer you sit there for valuable minutes , calling on the Satnav / liasing with the crew/ advising ATC you have a problem and would like to stop in the lane bla bla bla .
The problem comes down to this. Who will be accountable ? , not " lets use some common sense "
I guarantee in the above example , Medlink will say ,( after the person answering the phone has refered you to the duty physician. and after you have asked the purser who has asked the SFS who will fill out the form ( you know the one with all the beuracracy on it , How old , seat number , any allergies bla bla bla) , medlink will say , " Eer Emirates ... we recommend you go back on stand and we will arrange ."
So if you use your noggin and go back on stand immediately and the person dies , ' you might actually find yourself liable because you did not follow company procedure , ie call medilink "
Damned if you do damned if you dont.
Fly the freighter !!!!!