By Oyisa George
A month after former health minister Aaron Motsoaledi donned his doctor’s cap to steady a traveler, deputy health minister Dr. Sibongiseni Dhlomo intervened to assist a passenger with a medical issue on a flight from Durban to Cape Town this week.
A female traveler on board who was having health issues, Dhlomo, who held a few political posts while operating a general practice in Newcastle was alerted by the traveler.
“I was alerted by a passenger seated behind me in the plane that the cabin crew was 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,” says Dhlomo in an interview with Timelives.
Mr. Dhlomo expressed gratitude to the flight crew for providing the oxygen and medical gear, which allowed him to stabilize the patient.
According to his office in an interview with Timeslives, the flight was nearly aborted as the pilots debated diverting it and landing early to assist her.
Dhlomo gave them the reassurance that he could handle the matter up until they arrived at their destination, nevertheless. In anticipation of the plane landing at Cape Town International Airport, he turned the patient over to a team of paramedics. Her medical emergency’s specific nature remained a secret.
This event comes on the heels of a similar one last month when former health minister Aaron Motsoaledi intervened to assist in stabilizing a male passenger having a low blood sugar issue on a flight from East London to Johannesburg.
