When a passenger has a health problem, the flight crew either resolves the problem themselves or broadcasts a message over the loudspeaker: Is there a doctor on board?
For Dr. Sij Hemal, the flight in December 2017 was an unforgettable memory. At that time, Hemal was 27 years old, a second-year resident doctor, flying from India to the United States via four stops: New Delhi-Paris-New York-Cleveland.
On the Paris-New York leg of the flight, as the plane took off, a flight attendant's voice came over the loudspeaker: "Is there a doctor on board?" Hemal looked around. Sitting next to him was Susan Shepherd, a pediatrician who was returning home from working with the humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders).
Doctors Hemal and Shepherd take a photo with the mother and baby they delivered on the plane. Photo: Cleveland Clinic
After a quick exchange, Hemal stood up to check on the situation and Shepherd would come to assist if needed. He was led by a flight attendant to the passenger in distress. The woman was in her 40s, complaining of back and stomach pain and said she was pregnant.
The plane was flying over the Atlantic, with no nearby airport for an emergency landing. "You're at an altitude of almost 12,000 meters and surrounded by blue (the color of the sky, the sea)," Hemal recalled. Two doctors prepared for the delivery on the plane. A few hours later, the female passenger gave birth to a healthy baby with the help of the flight crew and doctors Hemal and Shepherd. The plane landed at JFK airport in New York, and the mother and baby were transferred to a nearby medical center. Hemal quickly grabbed her luggage to catch the next flight to Cleveland.
The phrase "Is there a doctor on board?" is often used in movies about airplane emergencies. Many people consider the phrase "cliché." "But it really happened," Hemal said.
According to CNN , flight attendants are trained in first aid to deal with medical emergencies. In many cases, the crew handles the situation themselves, but there are also cases where they have to ask for help from passengers. For doctors, suddenly going from resting to assisting a passenger in distress is not a difficult or uncommon situation. Hemal said that friends often ask him for medical advice outside the hospital, such as at weddings, on outings, or even when driving a taxi.
However, Hemal said that not all medical professionals are willing to assist with emergencies outside the hospital, especially on an airplane. "Honestly, many people are afraid and nervous, so they don't want to do it," Hemal said.
The plane is a closed space, and the cases are also very diverse. Therefore, not all doctors can accurately diagnose the disease if they are not specialized. Hemal said that in the world, there is a law called Good Samaritan, which protects doctors from lawsuits or compensation claims if they participate in treating patients.
In the United States, the Aviation Medical Assistance Act was created to protect doctors from liability when they help in an emergency on an airplane. However, according to Hemal, doctors always do their best in all situations.
Dr. Lauren Feld, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist in the US, has helped many emergency cases. She once requested an emergency landing to get a passenger to the hospital in time. Feld described her action of "asking the pilot to make an emergency landing" as not winning her much sympathy from the remaining passengers because the flight was delayed for many hours. But she still acted in the "best interests of the patient".
As a doctor, Feld doesn’t drink on planes. She’s usually asleep or busy with her kids. She said if a medical professional has had a few drinks before responding to a call for medical assistance, they should consider and make an appropriate decision about whether to assist.
Anh Minh (According to CNN )
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