Sabah Man Saves The Life Of An Ethnic Dusun Woman Onboard AirAsia Flight Above 30,000ft
A father of six, he has served 27 years with the Health Ministry.
By Sadho Ram — 12 Jan 2016, 04:28 PM
Earlier on 3 January, Joseph Kulip, a 54-year-old government paramedic, onboard AirAsia flight, was returning to Kuala Terengganu after the holidays. While onboard, the Kadazan native from Tambunan, Sabah answered an SOS call when a 24-year-old ethnic Dusun woman passenger went into fits, slumping in her seat as the aircraft cruised some 30,000ft over the South China Sea.
After a fellow male passenger seated beside the victim alerted cabin crew, who then addressed the passengers for the need of a doctor or a paramedic onboard to attend to the sick passenger. But when no one responded, Kulip summoned enough courage to volunteer, he told NST.
"Despite knowing well, the accountability and liability involved should something untoward happen to the victim following my intervention," added the Principal Assistant Medical Officer at the Terengganu Health Department.
Kulip's action probably saved the passenger's life
Kulip said he immediately applied the ‘ABCD’ principle – to check for airway (blocked nose/throat), breathing, (blood) circulation and drugs/deformity.
“I also requested the flight attendant to loosen the blouse of the victim so that she can breathe easily I checked her radial pulse and monitored the vital signs, as she was unresponsive but conscious in a sitting position in her seat,” said Kulip, whose action helped calm the situation in the cabin.
He said the pilot, who only identified himself as Capt Rus, then came over to ask on the victim’s condition.
“He asked me if we needed to divert to the closer Senai Airport in Johor to land immediately or proceed as planned to klia2. I had to make a split-second decision. I advised him that the patient was stable and we can proceed to klia2,” said Kulip, who kept watch on the victim for nearly an hour.
Upon landing, Capt Rus and the cabin crew thanked Kulip for his assistance and arranged for the victim to be wheel-chaired to awaiting medical staff. A father of six, Kulip has served 27 years with the Health Ministry and is married to teacher Anna Giat.
