Emirates taking liberties with medical assistance?

[RooFlyer]

Good Samaritan law there says you must give aid or face prosecution.

So, not do much the Good Samaritan as the Coerced Samaritan then?

 

[Pushka]

I think it’s completely unreasonable for a multi billion $ corporation to charge someone $15,000 for a flight and then inform they they are unpaid on call for the next 15 hours in an unfamiliar environment. Then next time I’m asked in advance (as opposed to helping in an emergency) I will literally ask them to confirm an on call payment at my usual rate and frankly I’m tempted to send an invoice and enforce it in VCAT anyway.

Since making this post I’ve become really annoyed - a close colleague just assisted FOUR times on the way back from Japan and was called on again the next flight. They can’t think it is reasonable to charge passengers this much and expect them to work almost literally 12 hours straight because they don’t want to provide medical staff. Face it, 500 pax for 16 hours nonstop and it’s time for medical assistance to be provided.

Did your friend volunteer? I just think surely the answer is not to have any title in your booking.

 

[drron]

Hvr I did have a somewhat funny incident when I was on a JAL flight to JFK.A seriously ill patient and I had just arrived on the scene.I was literally pulled away from the patient by a woman yelling-"out of the way,I am a nurse."
The patient actually needed a physician which I am and at the time I still spoke a little Japanese which the nurse did not.

 

[Quickstatus]

There is benefit to being called “Mr” as my surgical colleagues occasionally remind me.

I don’t pay much attention to what legal liabilities await in judgement of my medical assistance. If I can help, I’ll help.

But as my bookings are always Mr, no one will know except for QF who despite the Mr pronoun has me in the iPad as a doctor.

Most Australian medical professional indemnity will cover Good Samaritan acts internationally.

 

[turtlemichael]

My OH's specialty is sexual health. So far he has not had the need to put that into practice in an emergency on a plane but you never know when it could happen. He usually defers to anyone with more recent and relevant training and experience.

 

[kpc]

I once had 3 glasses of wine and sleeping pills, and was fast asleep when a call for a doctor was made.....I didn't even twitch a muscle in response....by becoming a Mr and under the influence of alcohol, all the above Good Samaritan stuff is irrelevant to me

 

[Mattg]

So I would not answer in the positive to Lufthansa's request.

As is your right to do so. The program is voluntary.

 

[kpc]

My emergency medical attendee story.

Many, many years ago when I was a qualified first aider there was a major car collision against the premises I worked and there were injuries. By the time I got to the scene (maybe a minute, it was a big premise) there was an ambulance officer and a doctor arguing about how to treat the casualty.

With two identified medical professionals on scene there was no need for my first aid abilities. I then assumed the role of securing the scene and ensuring the medical professionals weren't disturbed.

The ambulance officer and doctor were arguing about what should be done immediately for the seriously injured casualty. The ambulance officer said it was his scene and the doctor could 'sod off'. With police arriving the doctor did indeed 'sod off' . The other ambulance officer was dealing with another casualty.

The police checked the doctors credentials and were satisfied they were a genuine doctor with the appropriate abilities to attend but sided with the ambulance officer about who had control of the scene.

It was interesting being a mute fly on the wall.

I once was having lunch with my parents in a food court when there was a lot of commotion behind me....I continued eating...my mother went to investigate and came back to inform me that an old man had collapsed. I continued eating...she demanded I stopped eating and go and assist. Reluctantly I did, assessed the guy, got him better by lying him on the ground etc (was presyncopal on diuretics wearing too much clothes on a hot day)...when the ambulance guys arrived, they brushed me aside, weren't interested in my diagnosis or contact details in case the Emergency doctor wanted more info, so I went back to my cold lunch and told my mother that I would not do that again!

 

[Isochronous]

Hvr I did have a somewhat funny incident when I was on a JAL flight to JFK.A seriously ill patient and I had just arrived on the scene.I was literally pulled away from the patient by a woman yelling-"out of the way,I am a nurse."
The patient actually needed a physician which I am and at the time I still spoke a little Japanese which the nurse did not.

Typical of the new breed of arrogant and delusional nurses who think they have the same skills and qualifications as a doctor. The phenomenon is a real cancer on the health system.

 

[p--and--t]

My OH's specialty is sexual health. So far he has not had the need to put that into practice in an emergency on a plane but you never know when it could happen. He usually defers to anyone with more recent and relevant training and experience.

If he travels on VS he might be called upon to provide advice to Richard.....

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[drron]

Typical of the new breed of arrogant and delusional nurses who think they have the same skills and qualifications as a doctor. The phenomenon is a real cancer on the health system.

Though she was an older nurse.

 

[tgh]

Entertaining thread with real potential…...

 

[pauly7]

This is kind of a weird development but I had heard that Emirates had started routinely greeting pax with “Dr” in front of their name by saying (basically) “welcome to the flight, we will contact you for any medical problems during the flight”. I thought people were being precious and then it happened to me too with “It’s great to have you on board, we appreciate being able to have you help for any emergencies”. This has never happened to me or anyone else I know on any other airline.

Am I being over-sensitive here to feel somewhat aggrieved that I’m paying a full J fare and the first thing I’m told is that I’m now on-call, unpaid without even being asked nicely?

Have literally just flown 4 EK segments with a medical DR and no such verbal used... so clearly not rolled out systematically or at all yet...

I have however been on a flight where EK called on the use of their services when a person passed out.

It’s a tricky legal space for a practicing doctor and I can’t divulge much more apart from EK handled it all pretty badly!

 

[Pushka]

Hvr I did have a somewhat funny incident when I was on a JAL flight to JFK.A seriously ill patient and I had just arrived on the scene.I was literally pulled away from the patient by a woman yelling-"out of the way,I am a nurse."
The patient actually needed a physician which I am and at the time I still spoke a little Japanese which the nurse did not.

I have one of those nurses in the family. Heaven help any doctors who respond to the call. She’s older and hospital trained and still works in a large public hospital so I do think she can handle emergency cases on a plane if there is no one else more experienced.

 

[DC3]

So, out of interest, who can (or, who can not) legally call themselves a doctor, in Australia at least, or does this vary from State to State?

 

[RooFlyer]

So, out of interest, who can (or, who can not) legally call themselves a doctor, in Australia at least, or does this vary from State to State?

I imagine pretty well anyone. I dare say that if i chose to put "Dr." in the title box in my QFF profile, I could still sleep well at night.

If I needed substantiation, I could also get a mail-order doctorate degree from many junk universities around the world.

However, if I held myself as a medical doctor, when I wasn't, there would be a sanction waiting for me somewhere.

 

[DC3]

… However, if I held myself as a medical doctor, when I wasn't, there would be a sanction waiting for me somewhere.

No more op-ups, if discovered?

 

[blackcat20]

My friends PHD is in Seahorses.

Mines on barnacles...

 

[Quickstatus]

So, out of interest, who can (or, who can not) legally call themselves a doctor, in Australia at least, or does this vary from State to State?

You can call yourself by any pronoun you like.
Google is often known as Dr Google.

But you might see the price of stuff go up...

 

[rechoboam]

I once was having lunch with my parents in a food court when there was a lot of commotion behind me....I continued eating...my mother went to investigate and came back to inform me that an old man had collapsed. I continued eating...she demanded I stopped eating and go and assist. Reluctantly I did, assessed the guy, got him better by lying him on the ground etc (was presyncopal on diuretics wearing too much clothes on a hot day)...when the ambulance guys arrived, they brushed me aside, weren't interested in my diagnosis or contact details in case the Emergency doctor wanted more info, so I went back to my cold lunch and told my mother that I would not do that again!

But what you did was appropriate (including stepping aside). The role of a medical bystander is to provide basic life support, plus use of an AED if available. If nothing else, the ambos have the IVs, the fluid, the airway equipment and the monitors and are very adequately trained. It’s not appropriate for anyone to try and manage the patient over their heads; I know more about airway management and have more advanced skills than a typical paramedic (and I teach them) but I’d still leave it to them. In the absence of any equipment the role of a doctor on a plane or a food court is basically highly skilled first aid and basic life support as you provided on that occasion.