“I got up within 0.5 seconds”: Uzbek doctor treats woman in shock on flight to Korea

When a cabin announcement asked, “Is there any doctor on board?” Kamilov Hasan Bakhriddinovich came to the aid of a woman in severe shock aboard a flight from Uzbekistan to Korea on Sunday.

The 43-year-old Uzbek ear, nose and throat specialist recounted the emergency in an interview with The Korea Herald on Wednesday, after a post showing him treating the woman spread rapidly online.

“I got up from my seat within 0.5 seconds,” Hasan, now in his 16th year as a doctor, said. “I knew that even a small delay could lead to complications involving the body and brain. As a doctor, I felt I had to respond as quickly as possible and provide emergency treatment.”

The woman, who appeared to be Korean, could not support herself and struggled to follow his instructions, Hasan said. Her diastolic blood pressure fell as low as 20 mmHg.

Hasan said he treated the woman for about 15 minutes using medicine and a blood pressure monitor he had packed in his backpack.

“The pilot was preparing for an emergency landing, but I did everything I could as a doctor,” he said. “In the end, the plane was able to arrive in Seoul without making an emergency landing nearby.”

Accounts posted online said Hasan intermittently administered oxygen and gave the woman a dexamethasone injection. Other passengers brought water, sweets, chocolate, pillows and blankets, while flight attendants assisted with the response.

After the plane landed, some people asked Hasan whether he had considered the potential legal consequences if the woman had died.

“I fully understood that,” he said. “But I wanted to help her, and it was my choice. I think any doctor who truly loves their profession would have done the same.”

Hasan said he hoped the story would encourage young medical students and doctors to put people first and step forward in an emergency.

Hasan runs Orlmed, an otolaryngology clinic in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and was traveling to Korea for his annual medical training at Chungbuk National University Hospital. He said the hospital’s international medical center arranges his training and surgeries, while its international exchange center helps meet his needs during his stays.

“Korea has become like my second home,” he said.

One social media post about the incident read, “I was touched by the kindness of the Uzbek people. I do not think there is a more admirable profession than one that saves lives.”