My heart skipped a beat upon receiving an email from an established Airlines company. Just a few days ago, as I relayed the story of responding to a Passenger Service Announcement for a doctor inflight on the way to Uganda, a senior colleague had warned me of the legal implications. You could be implicated, or worse, sued, if you did something wrong.
The email read:
“Dear Dr. Tan,
We have received a report from our Cabin Services department which states that one of our passengers was feeling unwell on board XXX/27FEB14/DOHEBB.
All our Cabin Crew members are trained in the use of first-aid equipment and in carrying out basic first-aid. They are also trained to recognise a range of medical conditions that may cause emergencies on board and to act appropriately to manage these. However, there may be occasions when they will require to seek further advice or assistance from medical practitioners on board.”
As I read the email with bated breath, the scene ran through my mind: hearing the announcement, looking at my husband with a oh-no-this-is-the-second-time-in-8-months look, feeling my heart race as the adrenalin coursed through my body wondering what kind of emergency I would be capable(or not capable) of attending to, finally seeing a frail Rwandan lady with a huge compressive bandage strapped across her chest from a recent open-heart surgery, and her breathing hard, saying she couldn’t breathe.
I had asked if there might be any medical equipment on board, but since it was a small flight, only an old manual blood pressure machine and stethoscope was available. Blood pressure, 100/55. Pulse, 80.
As she breathed heavily, there was little I could do except take a thorough medical history from her sister, keep her listening and talking to me and ask if I could pray aloud for her. She gladly accepted, with much relief. God is so real to people in such times of desperation. As soon as I had finished praying, she asked for a Fanta drink, got up, and walked to the toilet, before we handed her case over to the medical staff on-ground.
The flight attendant asked for my licensing number and details, which stunned me a little.
All these details flashed through my mind as I thought the worst- perhaps I should have done more, did the lady do badly and die?
Then I read further and gave the biggest sigh of relief:
“We understand that you responded to the Passenger Announcement made by the crew and advised of your recommendation. On behalf of XX Airways, we are pleased to express our sincere gratitude for this exemplary humanitarian gesture.
Thank you for flying with us and we look forward to welcoming you on another XX Airways flight in the near future.”
It was then that I was reminded once more why I studied medicine and our responsibility not just at, but outside of work. In a day and age where we are so fearful of medico-legal lawsuits, are we willing to continually push ahead for what is right and see beyond the potential risks? When we help, there is always a risk of hurt, as much as we wish to first “do no harm”, but if we hold back and turn the deaf ear or blind eye, do we hurt ourselves in the end?
I wasn’t brave, just ignorant. At that point, I didn’t think about lawsuits, only how God had put us to help someone even before we had touched down in Uganda! In both times in the last eight months where the flight staff needed a doctor, I had no idea what would be in my hands. Both times, both ladies were in great distress for a condition that would have been best attended to by a gynaecologist or cardiologist, respectively, certainly not a public health doctor like myself. Yet, in both instances, instincts kicked in, and even just a basic medical history and a touch of concern did wonders for these two passengers, who both became well after prayer, before landing.
Sometimes, perhaps what we need is not a higher degree or more prestigious qualifications, but a heart willing to take a risk, as did God did for us on a cross. I do ask myself though, what if I did more harm than good? Did I just get lucky? But in both times, I can only thank God for His mercy upon not just the patients, but me, too. With the little that I know, the little that I have, the little that I am.
Are we willing to go out on a limb?
Wai Jia, good for you for stepping up when others needed help. Yes, there are legal considerations at play, and I am happy to hear that your heart jumps first to thinking of others before thinking of yourself. You and Cliff show this element of yourselves time and again, and you show it very well in both of these medical situations.
Are there “good samaritan” laws that protect those who render aid? Are you not protected as long as you can justify, if needed, why you made the medical decisions that you did?
I am certainly not a legal expert, but on a practical basis you did what you could and you were the best person at the time to do it. Although you weren’t the expert in the respective fields each time, what you knew and what you were able to do was beyond what *anyone else* on the scene knew or could do. You were the best person on the scene – and what *could* the consequences have been if you stood by out of fear and selfish concern? How would you live with that?
I do work in the field of emergency management, and an emergency by definition is a situation where you do not have the time or resources that you would *normally* need to address the situation at hand. You do the best you can with what you have. (Although you would prepare in advance to be able to do the utmost when the time comes.)
This is, of course, no guarantee that everything will always work out with stars and roses. However, to not do what we can – based on our resources, knowledge, and abilities – surely rests on our consciences and says something about who we are as people.
Might I suggest doing a bit of digging to find out what protective laws are in place in Uganda and on international flights for those who render aid in emergencies? That may help to put your mind at ease in future instances when you the call for help sounds out 🙂