There was plenty of gratitude, but the doctor responded by saying that he was just performing his duties.
Until last month Dr Prabhulingaswamy Sanganalmath was just another 69-year-old retired government doctor with a small private practice in the Kuvempunagar area of Mysuru.
On November 13, however, while travelling on board an Air France flight from Paris to Bengaluru, he saved the life of an elderly passenger, for which he has received gratitude and a special gift voucher from the European airline.
Dr Sanganalmath put all his medical expertise to use when an elderly European citizen collapsed during the flight. As the only doctor on board, he offered his services to the distressed cabin crew requesting for immediate medical assistance.
Besides Dr Sanganalmath, there was also a nurse, who helped him revive the man who had no trace of a pulse and wasn’t breathing. With the nurse’s assistance, he conducted a cardiac massage followed by the standard process of trying to resuscitate the patient.
“The air hostesses brought the emergency health kit and oxygen tank. The oxygen supplemented resuscitation was carried out. The patient started speaking and drank juice after a couple of hours. He was under observation until the flight landed in Bengaluru and was then taken to the airport clinic for further examination,” said Dr Sanganalmath, in a conversation with The Hindu.
After they landed, the flight captain and cabin crew expressed their gratitude at the doctor for saving his life, although he responded by saying that he was only performing his duties.
Also Read: IIT-K Student Uses Engineering Skills To Save Co-Passenger’s Life on Flight!
“[The] next day I got a message from Vincent Feuillie of Air France Passenger Medical Service thanking me for the medical assistance. Now, the airline has offered me a voucher worth 100 Euros as a token of appreciation,” added the doctor.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
