Doctors on board Indian domestic flight save life of baby who stopped breathing

Baby reportedly developed severe breathing issues midflight

Two doctors on a domestic flight in India rushed to provide emergency aid after a baby with congenital heart disease developed breathing issues midair on Monday.

A medical team then rushed in to provide the baby with oxygen support once the flight landed at 9:25am, Indian news agency PTI reported.

Parents were taking the baby to the government medical hospital AIIMS in New Delhi for treatment for a congenital heart disease.

About 20 minutes following take-off on Saturday, the flight crew part of the New Delhi-bound aircraft made an emergency announcement seeking medical assistance for a baby in distress.

The baby developed severe breathing issues mid flight.

Indian Administrative Service officer Nitin Kulkarni, who is also a doctor by training, provided emergency medical aid for the baby, according to local news.

Dr Kulkarni, who is presently the principal secretary to the governor of Jharkhand, and Dr Mozammil Pheroz from Sadar Hospital in the east Indian city of Ranchi, came forward to provide the emergency help.

A co-passenger congratulated the two doctors in a post on X.

“Doctors are God sent angels. Today saw one saving a 6 month old baby onboard Indigo flight. Dr Nitin Kulkarni, IAS, governor house took on his role as a doctor and saved the kid,” AS Deol posted on the social media platform.

This is the second instance in recent times in India when a baby with breathing difficulties was assisted midair by doctors on board.

In August, a group of doctors from a government hospital revived a two-year-old toddler after she stopped breathing mid-air.

The five doctors aboard the Vistara airline flight were returning from a conference in the southern city of Bengaluru when the air crew sought medical assistance for an unconscious child.

“As soon as a flight attendant made the distress call, around 9.30pm, we immediately examined the toddler and found her pulse was absent, her extremities were cold, and she was not breathing, with cyanosed lips and fingers,” Dr Damandeep Singh at AIIMS told The Indian Express.

The doctors worked to maintain the child’s airway as airline staff coordinated with airport authorities to arrange an emergency landing following which the patient was transferred to a hospital in the western city of Nagpur.