The deputy minister of health used his experience as a medical doctor on Monday when a woman urgently needed medical help on a flight from Durban to Cape Town.
The pilots considered adjusting the flight plan and landing somewhere as soon as possible before dr. Sibongiseni Dhlomo stepped in to treat the woman.
Dhlomo says a passenger sitting behind him on the plane informed him about the situation.
“The passenger said that the cabin crew was asking for medical assistance for another passenger who urgently needed help,” he says.
“I quickly left my seat and went to the passenger to help her.”
Dhlomo examined the woman to find out what was wrong, and with the help of a first aid kit and oxygen managed to stabilize the woman.
Dhlomo reassured the pilots that he would keep an eye on the woman’s condition until they arrived in Cape Town.
On their arrival at the Cape Town International Airport, the woman was handed over to paramedics for further treatment. It is not clear what happened to the woman on the plane.
Several passengers thanked the deputy minister for his intervention.
Dhlomo is also known for frequently visiting forensic pathology services across the country and is willing to lend a hand in post-mortem examinations.
