On a recent flight from Durban to Cape Town, South Africa’s deputy health minister, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, came to the aid of a fellow passenger facing a medical emergency.
According to TimesLive, Dr Dhlomo, who previously had a general practice in Newcastle, was alerted to the situation by a fellow passenger sitting behind him. Recounting the incident, Dr Dhlomo said that, without hesitation, he moved from his seat to the one next to the ailing passenger, ready to provide aid.
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‘I was alerted by a passenger seated behind me in the plane that the cabin crew were asking for medical assistance to assist a passenger who was not well, and I had to quickly move from my seat to the seat next to the passenger and attend to her,’ he explained.
Flight attendants reportedly supplied him with a medical kit and oxygen, enabling him to stabilise the distressed passenger.
The seriousness of the situation was such that the flight’s pilots were considering diverting the plane for an emergency landing. However, Dr Dhlomo assured them that he could manage the situation until the plane reached its scheduled destination, Cape Town International Airport.
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Upon landing, Dr Dhlomo escorted the patient to a waiting paramedic team, ensuring she received further medical attention.
The specifics of her medical emergency were not disclosed.
This incident follows a similar incident in which former health minister Aaron Motsoaledi stepped in to help stabilise a male passenger experiencing a low blood sugar emergency on a flight from East London to Johannesburg last month.
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