Jharkhand governor praises IAS officer for saving baby's life on Ranchi-Delhi flight

Ranchi, Oct 2 (PTI) Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan praised his principal secretary, Nitin Madan Kulkarni, for saving a baby with congenital heart disease who had developed severe breathing problems during a Ranchi-Delhi flight on Saturday.
    "I am proud of your noble work. It represents human service," Radhakrishnan wrote on 'X' to laud Kulkarni, a 1995-batch IAS officer and a trained doctor.
    "Your promptness in saving the life of a child is highly appreciated. The work done by you towards serving humanity is exemplary for others," the governor said on Monday.
    Kulkarni and a doctor from Ranchi Sadar Hospital gave oxygen supply using a mask meant for adults and other drugs as emergency medical assistance to the kid.
    After the flight landed, a medical team took the baby under their care and provided oxygen support.
The parents were taking the baby to AIIMS Delhi for treatment, officials said.
    Twenty minutes into the flight, the air crew had made an emergency announcement seeking medical assistance from any doctor on board for a baby in distress.
    Kulkarni and Dr Mozammil Pheroz from Ranchi Sadar Hospital came forward to save the child.
    "The mother was crying as the baby was gasping for breath. Dr Mozammil and I took over care of the baby. Oxygen was supplied through a mask meant for adults as no baby mask or cannula was available," Dr Kulkarni said.
    "When we checked the medical records, we found the baby was suffering from a congenital heart condition," he said.
    He said injection Theophylline was given from the drugs kit. The parents were carrying injection Dexona, which proved very helpful, he said.
    Soon after the injections were pushed, the baby showed some signs of improvement, he added.
    "First 15-20 minutes were very crucial as it was difficult to gauge the progress. Finally, the baby's eyes became normal. The cabin crew was very helpful and provided prompt support," he added.
    "We requested for priority landing and full medical support on arrival," Kulkarni said.
    The flight landed at 9.25 am and a medical team rushed in to provide oxygen support.
    "We were happy and satisfied with the outcome of our efforts of more than an hour," Kulkarni said.
    A co-passenger congratulated the doctors for saving the baby. "Doctors are God-sent angels. Today, I saw one saving a 6-month-old baby on board an Indigo flight. Dr Nitin Kulkarni, IAS, Governor House in Jharkhand took on his role as a doctor and saved the kid. Salute to you sir," AS Deol wrote on X.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)