Airlines focus on mid-air treatment as diversions cost a lot

With aircraft diversion become increasingly frequent in recent times due to medical emergencies, the airlines have started employing latest state of the art measures to not only save the invaluable life of the passengers but also to stop its financial bleeding caused due to it.

The latest such measure include the one taken by Gulf based Emirates airline wherein onboard crew members can transmit vital medical data of the affected passenger - such as heart rate, blood pressure, ECG, voice and video - from the aircraft to medical centre on land using satellite communications. The medical team then advise the crew on how best to treat or alleviate the patient's condition, and also advise whether a medical diversion is necessary, or if the affected passenger could be treated at the final destination. The crew members are also advise the closest airports the flight could divert to, based on the medical services available at those points.

" When a medical diversion does happen, we work hard to get the affected passenger access to medical attention as quickly as possible
in coordination with the local authorities, and at the same time try to minimise disruption for other passengers affected by the diversion" said Adel Al Redha, Emirates' Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer.

The reason for According to an estimate, a single diversion can cost up to US$200,000 for the airline. In 2013 and 2014, Emirates diverted over 100 flights for medical emergencies, costing more than US$12million.

A study done by New England Journal of Medicine in 2013 stated that in-flight medical emergencies occur in about 1 in every 604 flights. Considering that around 2.75 billion passengers flew around the globe , around 44,000 in-flight emergencies can be expected in a year. However, only in sevenpercent of the times, that the airlines are made to divert, the reports add.

According to experts, apart from the financial costs due to a medical diversion, there are other inconveniences. In addition to the crew on board, a full team on the ground swings into action to rebook passengers who may miss their flight connections, make arrangements for the aircraft to be met by medical services, organise ground refuelling and file a revised flight plan. This becomes more challenging at a time when the ground team has to support a turnaround of an aircraft at a station that is not a scheduled destination.

National carrier Air India aircraft claims it to second to none, when it comes to medical emergencies. The airline states that its aircraft arefacilitated with Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System ( ACARS ) system whereby all such issues are relayed to ground support system who then immediately contact the airline's medical services division for the necessary assistance and advice. ACARS is a digital data-link system useful in transmission of messages between the aircraft and ground stations.

Leading low cost carrier Indigo made 22 diversions on medical grounds last year which costed the airline around Rs 65 lacs. Apart from ACARS, the airline has an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) in all its flight, though ts not necessary to have it in domestic flights. " These have proved vital in saving the lives of cardiac arrest patients" said an Indigo spokesperson. A spokesperson for Jet Airways, " New Cabin crew recruits are thoroughly trained in all aspects of First Aid over a period of 7 days".

The DGCA officials said that in addition to the hi-tech medical emergency system, all the airline carry basic medical requirements on board. The crew members are imparted regular training on various aspects which includes handling of various medical situations – like cardiac emergencies, lung disorders, traumas , bleeding, injuries and fractures, shock and burns, childbirth, communicable Diseases, diabetes and hypoglycemia, etc.