Pakistani student saves life of Chinese woman during flight

BEIJING: A Pakistani student aboard a flight to Paris, France, on July 2 saved the life of a Chinese passenger and termed it as "the best day of his life".

Muhammad Shahbaz – a PhD student studying at China's Shangdong University School of Medicine – heard a crew member requesting the assistance of a medical professional to treat a Chinese woman who was shivering and in distress, China Daily reported on Tuesday.

Shahbaz got up and went to a stewardess, who took him to the ailing woman. He told her he was a doctor and that he could speak Chinese.

The woman was suffering from severe vomiting, stress, and hypothermia, he explained, adding that it was a challenging task to treat her with the plane's limited resources.

Nevertheless, while Shahbaz attended to the woman, arrangements were made on the ground for an emergency landing if any complications arose. Medical staff, who had an ambulance ready, were in touch throughout the duration of the flight.

The Pakistani man noted that the woman began feeling better within three hours and, by the last couple of hours during flight, was in good state.

Medical professionals still examined the woman when the aeroplane landed.

The cabin crew applauded Shahbaz's efforts, whereas the chief of staff awarded him 10,000 Air France mileage points as a token of gratitude.

"I am used to seeing this in movies, but it happened in real life. Being the only doctor on the flight, I felt proud of my profession [and] for being able to save a person's life."

Shahbaz mentioned that he was "proud to be Pakistani" and that medicine "is the best profession on planet earth".

The woman, 26, who identified herself as Li Xuan the following day, thanked Dr. Shahbaz for his help after she made a full recovery.

"There is a Chinese saying that 'saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda'. Thank you Dr. Shahbaz for helping me while I was in distress," Xuan said.