Medical Mixups !

The question of passengers essential medication on long overseas flights has been brought into question by a court action in which a passenger is suing Qantas because a medication mixup resulted in him having a heart attack.

This eighty year old Australian had been living in the United States and boarded a Qantas aircraft to visit his brother in Perth in May, 2018.  He is a type 2 diabetic and uses a wheelchair and arrived at the airport with his insulin in a cooler bag on his lap.

This passenger claims a staff member told him they would take care of his medicine and ensure it went on the plane.  Qantas claims that the passenger left his insulin at Los Angeles airport and it is not their practice to take medication and return it on the plane.

During the sixteen hour flight this passenger became ill.  It is required that he take insulin with his meals and it quickly became evident that his medication had been left behind.   Two hours from Melbourne his blood sugar levels spiked and he had a heart attack.

The cabin crew helped manage his blood sugar levels with appropriate food and drink and ensured paramedics were on standby when the aircraft landed.  They moved him to a seat beside another passenger who is a doctor. This passenger is not satisfied and has commenced court action to recover $200,000 in damages.

Just how that insulin managed to be left behind is unclear.  It is thought that it ended up with the baggage in the plane's hold and was thrown out on arrival because it had travelled unrefrigerated.  Most medication comes with safe handling instructions.

A Qantas spokesman reports that this passenger did not fill out a form to advise that he had a significant medical condition before flying.  That would ensure that the cabin crew were aware of the particular needs that might be required during the flight and would give special attention to having the required medication under their control.  This is particularly important on long haul overseas flights.

Passengers also need to declare the medication with them when they pass through customs.  It is  recommended that they have appropriate renewal scripts which identify prescriptions which may not be common in all world countries.  Care needs to be taken with supplicants which may contain matter not legally allowed in the country of destination.

Perhaps most important of all, medication needs must be made clear when booking the flight.  The airline is then warned that necessary protocols are put in place to ensure that passengers have a pleasant - and safe - journey !