A local doctor who became internationally renowned as an expert on stopping the spread of communicable diseases via air travel died peacefully on Feb 6.
Dr Jarnail Singh, 67, was the first chairman of the Civil Aviation Medical Board of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and headed other local and global aviation medicine organisations.
He worked with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) during the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in 2003 to coordinate the international response that allowed the aviation sector to get back on its feet.
Dr Singh also chaired the CAAS' ultra-long-range task force, which put Singapore on the map by launching the world's first non-stop ultra-long-range commercial flight from Singapore to New York in 2004.
His death has prompted tributes from those in the aviation and medical sectors worldwide.
Professor Chew Chin Hin, an emeritus consultant at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, said Dr Singh played a large part in establishing aviation medicine as a speciality here - he had focused on training younger medical examiners who were responsible for health assessments of pilots and air traffic controllers.
"Aviation medicine has advanced immensely in recent decades. Certainly, Jarnail has contributed in a large measure to the training and in establishing high standards of the speciality, to the benefit of the many aviation medicine physicians we have today," said Prof Chew. "Internationally, he was greatly respected as a much-sought-after authority for expert advice. He will be greatly missed."
Aviation medicine focuses on the safety and health of air crew and passengers and tackles the spread of disease through air travel, which makes pandemics trans-border events.
In an interview with the Singapore Medical Association in 2015, Dr Singh described humans as "the weak link in the entire safety chain" that aviation medicine hopes to strengthen.
He said one of his proudest achievements was building up the air force's aeromedical centre, once using a video of himself losing consciousness in a training centrifuge to convince the then Minister of Defence that it was a necessary investment for Singapore pilots.
Dr Singh was posted to Tengah and Sembawang airbases as a doctor during his national service, which influenced his decision to specialise in the aviation sector.
Dr Michelle Millar of ICAO's air navigation bureau said: "With the passing of Dr Jarnail Singh, aviation has lost one of its regulatory pioneers in managing fatigue risks. Due in no small part to his contributions, ICAO went on to adopt new standards and recommended practices to address pilot fatigue.
"His gentlemanly manner, his passion for safety, and his willingness to contribute will be sorely missed in ICAO halls and his loss will be felt across the global aviation community."
Professor Philippa Gander of the Sleep/Wake Research Centre at New Zealand's Massey University, which worked with Dr Singh on ultra-long-range flights, said it "seems like the passing of an era".
CAAS director-general Kevin Shum said: "His many achievements and contributions will long be remembered, and he will be greatly missed by all who knew him."
Dr Singh is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
