A doctor who refused to assist a mid air medical emergency during a long haul flight has gone viral on social media, and received praise from many people who said he made the right choice. In the same breath the passenger who berated him has received a lot of criticism for saying something very crazy.
Why Did the Doctor Refuse a Mid Air Emergency?
The doctor, who wished to remain anonymous, shared his story on a popular online forum, where he explained why he did not respond to the call for a doctor on board.
He said he was on a long haul international flight, and decided to enjoy the inflight entertainment and free drinks, as he usually sleeps on flights. He admitted he was “pretty drunk” and “not able to think clearly” when the announcement was made.
He said he felt guilty for not helping, but he also knew he would have done more harm than good if he had tried to intervene in his intoxicated state. He said he had no idea what the emergency was, or how serious it was.
He also revealed that the woman sitting next to him called him an “unbelievable a**hole” for not helping, and gave him dirty looks for the rest of the flight.
In his post he wrote “Recently I was on a long haul international flight. Usually, I sleep on flights, but this was during my waking hours, so I decided to spend my time enjoying the inflight entertainment and free drinks”.
He continued, “I was trying to watch a movie, and enjoy my drinks when an announcement was made asking if there was a doctor on flight. I was pretty drunk. I was not able to think clearly and probably would have done more harm than good”.
How Social Media Reacted to the Woman Calling the Doctor Who Refused a Mid Air Emergency an A**hole
His post quickly gained thousands of comments, most of them supportive of his decision. Many people said he was smart to avoid a potential lawsuit, as he could have been held liable for any mistakes he made while drunk. They also said he was honest and responsible for admitting his condition, and not putting the patient at risk.
Some people even shared their own experiences of being in similar situations, where they had to choose between helping or not helping in a medical emergency, while being under the influence of alcohol or drugs. People couldn’t believe that the woman had the audacity to call a drunk doctor an ‘unbelievable a**hole’ for not helping with the medical emergency. They couldn’t fathom how she couldn’t understand he was making the safe decision.
This is a tricky situation, where there are really no winners. You could argue the doctor shouldn’t have been drunk, but he wasn’t on duty. You could argue the doctor should have helped, but he was drunk. All we can hope is that the person who needed help survived the medical scare.
Do you think it was wrong how the doctor refused a mid air emergency?
