Health minister stabilises passenger
2013-02-12 07:40
Durban - Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi was probably
hoping for a quiet flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town on Monday evening.
Instead, the minister, who was sitting in the business class
section of Flight SA375, found himself trying to stabilise an economy class
passenger who had collapsed.
A passenger on the flight told The Witness on Monday night
that a woman began screaming for help just before take-off.
When she was ignored, the unnamed women jumped up from her
seat and asked whether there was a doctor on board, as the passenger next to
her was in trouble.
She did not know the man.
“He [Motsoaledi] was there on the spot and helped the
passenger,” the eyewitness said.
An ambulance was called and the flight was delayed for an
hour, with passengers remaining on board until the Nigerian man could be
stabilised and taken to hospital.
The passenger described how several “tourists and other
mavericks” on board had taken photographs, while others caught the drama on
video, having no regard for the passenger’s privacy.
The captain advised the passengers, when the plane was
finally ready to depart, that the man was not critical and was expected to
travel to Cape Town on Tuesday.
Motsoaledi could not be reached for comment by the Witness.
