Deputy Health Minister 'saves' woman's life on Cape Town flight

The Deputy Minister was flying from Durban to parliament in Cape Town on Monday. 

While on board, Dhlomo was alerted about a female passenger in need of emergency medical assistance.  

“The Minister used his medical experience and was able to stabilise her for the remainder of the trip, which was almost cut short when the pilots were considering flight diversion for an early landing to save her life,” says the Department of Health.  

“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 attended her,” explains Dhlomo.  

"As a trained medical doctor, firstly I had to check the vital signs in order to detect any medical problems, and thanks to fellow passengers and the flight attendants who provided the medical kit and oxygen to enable me to stabilise the patient throughout the journey,” he says.

The woman was handed over to the paramedics that have been waiting for the flight to land at Cape Town International Airport. 

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