Further to Snuggles views, while working in Flt Ops back office regularly involved with pilots and their medical renewals etc I often wondered at this culture of confidentiality and the jealous guarding of it by this particular group of professionals. What is so "confidential" about anyones state of health? Why does it get to the point that it cant be mentioned in this group's case because "someone might lose their job"? ( as no doubt the pilot group will maintain). Isnt the fact they might lose their job sufficient reason for their state of health to be known by someone in authority other than their doctor?
We had a very large in-house free medical centre but still some pilots chose to go to outside practitioners ( at their own cost but that was hardly an issue of course). I and many others had the same choice but I dont recall any non-flyers electing to go "private".
Funny ie peculiar, how the very group with peoples lives in their hands have the opportunity to avoid the close scrutiny you might think ought to be an automatic requirement. Solution; pilots are medically examined by airline appointed doctors who are free to notify management when " fitness to fly" is called into question.