'Am I good enough?': S'pore doctor who tried to save passenger on SIA flight to Milan shares fears, experience
A Singapore doctor who tried to save a passenger who lost consciousness on a Singapore Airlines flight to Milan has shared that he feared he might not have been good enough to help.
Consultant hepatologist and gastroenterologist Dr Desmond Wai, who has more than 20 years of experience, opened up about his experience on board SQ378 from Singapore to Milan on Nov 5 in a series of TikTok videos.
Dr Wai, who runs a gastrointestinal diseases centre at Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, said he and two other doctors, together with the flight crew, tried in vain to resuscitate the passenger for about half an hour. The passenger eventually died.
In his videos, he also explained what happens when a passenger dies on a flight, why he had no authority to certify the death, and that he and the other two doctors were questioned by Milan police upon touchdown. He added that the passenger's widow personally thanked him for his efforts.
In his latest video on Nov 7, he revealed that one of his concerns when he responded to the call was that he might not be good enough to attend to the medical emergency.
His first consideration: "Am I qualified? Am I good enough?"
"My licence is in MBBS in Singapore. I'm a practising gastroenterologist. But beyond that, I know very little. How to handle a fracture, how to handle a stroke, how to handle a heart attack with the latest knowledge. I may not be the best in those areas," he concedes.
There was also the fear of a lawsuit should anything go wrong, as his medical indemnity insurance covers only his practice as a gastroenterologist in Singapore.
"Providing emergency care for somebody, say, with a fracture or with a dislocated shoulder on the plane out of Singapore, they may not cover," he notes. "So if they sue me for negligence, then I will have to shoulder the cost, the legal cost myself, and it can be very costly."
However, these considerations would not stop him from acting if a life were at stake. "Having said all these considerations, when human life is concerned, we will not hesitate to go and help."
There was no concern about performing CPR, as Dr Wai is very familiar with the procedure. He also reveals in the video that his son, who has a Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) certificate, was hoping to help the unconscious passenger.
"But they saw a young man and there are already three doctors and a group of air stewardesses, airline crew…so they told the boy, no, no just stay away."
Thank you, doctor for trying'
According to the earlier videos posted by Dr Wai, he responded to an medical emergency call at about 2am. He went to the back of the aircraft where a passenger, a terminal cancer patient, was lying unconscious on the floor of the aircraft.
He and two doctor friends, along with cabin crew, tried for half an hour to resuscitate the man. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to save him.
Upon touchdown, the three doctors were interviewed by local police.
Dr Wai also says in one of the videos that the wife of the passenger thanked him for his efforts to save her husband.
"At the end of it, the wife of the deceased came to me in tears, and she said, 'Thank you, doctor for trying'," he said. "So that was the most touching moment."
Dr Wai's actions earned the praise of netizens.
"Well done Dr. really appreciate you doing what you do," said one TikToker.
"Thank you for your service Dr Wai and your dr friends too," said another.
