Saving Sick Passengers on Delta’s Flights: A Ghanaian Doctor's Story

Today, we learn about a Ghanaian doctor's experience assisting an ailing passenger onboard a Delta flight, with the help of Delta flight crew.

There are many ways Delta ensures a safe operation for customers and crew. As safety professionals, flight attendants are trained to provide medical assistance during in-flight medical events.

Every Delta aircraft is equipped with two Enhanced Emergency Medical Kits (EEMK) with life-saving medications, as well as additional equipment including an automated blood pressure cuff, oxygen saturation pulse oximeter, first aid kit, and an automated external defibrillator. 

The flight crew can connect on-demand using high-speed Wi-Fi to emergency medicine physicians on the ground through MedLink by MedAire, a resource that guides crewmembers and medical volunteers to assess customer’s condition and provide care. Delta aircraft are also equipped with the Red Pouch, the suite of additional medical diagnostic equipment, to utilize for the most common medical events. 

Delta flight crews are trained to routinely solicit medical volunteer service from passengers onboard who are physicians or other licensed medical professionals to assist during an in-flight medical emergency.

For Ghanaian physician Dr. Enoch Opoku Afriyie, the professionalism of the Delta crew was commendable for their response to a specific medical event that happened on his flight in June 2024.

Dr. Afriyie has 11 years of experience as a medical doctor, and five years as an emergency physician specialist. Currently, Dr. Afriyie is pursuing a second master’s in public health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Afriyie responded to an emergency call four hours into a Delta flight from the Kotoka International Airport, Accra, Ghana (ACC) to JFK to assist an elderly passenger who experienced a cardiac arrest.

“If the crew were not swift enough in their response, the man’s life would have been cut short,” Dr. Afriyie said. “If an individual has a cardiac arrest, you have to respond within seconds as a physician.”

Dr. Afriyie also appreciated the availability of medical tools, including the blood pressure cuff and an oximeter found in the EEMK.

“I was thoroughly impressed by the flight crew’s response and cooperation,” Dr. Afriyie said. “I’m grateful that Delta had things in place when things like this happen.” 

Dr. Henry Ting, Senior Vice President, Chief Health & Wellness Officer, commended Dr. Afriyie’s effort in providing his medical assistance to an ailing customer. 

“It was fortunate to have you on board with us, and we are thankful for the assistance you provided,” said Dr. Ting. “Medical volunteers like yourself expand our inflight response capabilities and help us in our mission to protect the health and safety of our customers and our crew.”