BENGALURU: An average of four to five passengers’ lives are saved each month, thanks to the presence of the 24x7 Aster Airport Medical Centre and its clinic at the Kempe Gowda International Airport (KIA). The clinic located in the first floor inside the terminal has ensured a smooth journey for families with ailing passengers, who learn only when they go for a boarding pass that a ‘Fitness to Fly’ certificate is mandatory.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, V D Hemanth Kumar, Business Head of Aster Clinics said, “The golden hour is crucial to save lives. Passengers on flights develop heart problems or severe asthmatic attacks, when flying from or to Bengaluru due to its high altitude. Some develop a high BP which could lead to a stroke.”
When such health problems occur, those on flight inform the Air Traffic Control and the officials there alert the clinic before the flight lands at the airport. “Our medical team is there waiting with equipments to provide immediate relief to the patient. We are allowed inside the aircraft on a priority basis and bring the patient to our centre later,” he explained.
A very important facility the medical centre possesses is a mortuary, which can house two bodies at a time. “You will not find this in any airport in the country, may be even in Asia,” Kumar claimed. When TNIE visited the clinic, senior citizen Nupur Raj was busy getting his fitness certificate to fly to Kolkata via New Delhi. “We had no clue such a certificate was required when someone is ill.” The next hospital is located 7 km away at Devanahalli, making the medical centre crucial during emergencies.