Originally Posted by Chapel Hill Guy
It happens. Can't recall the route I was on as it was maybe two years ago, but not one medically-trained person on board to respond. Purser asked three times. I chatted with her as we waited to deplane and she said it was the first time in her career that not one was on board.
Or there were, but they didn't dare to acknowledge it, for fear of being sued, at least in the States.
I am medically qualified, and responded to a inflight call once: on a UA transatlantic 777. Not holding a US licence, I did not reply to the first call, but as nobody else made themselves known, I responded. I refuse to believe that I was the only medically qualified on an overbooked June flight, but I guess that others held back due to litigation fears... (My Norwegian malpractise insurance covers this type of emergency, by the way!).
On the other hand flying transatlantic on SK this spring, 60 Scandinavian (mostly Swedish) physicians responded to a minor medical emergency....
Neither of the flights had to divert, BTW