Flying doctor comes to rescue of tummy bug Pupils
A CHINESE doctor flying to Scotland to start a new job, used acupuncture to treat a party of British schoolchildren struck down with food poisoning during the 11-hour flight.
Dr Wendong Qin, went to the aid of a party of 25 pupils from a London school who were returning from a nine-day trip, when they became ill on an Air China flight from Beijing to Heathrow.
Concern mounted when the worst affected individuals became severely dehydrated and went into shock part way through the 11-hour flight.
But Dr Qin, who was heading for Arbroath to join the Meridian Clinic, responded o a plea from the pilot over the intercom.
He spent the final six hours of the flight using acupuncture pressure points and giving massages to the pupils to relieve their stomach cramps, headaches and shock.
The crew area at the back of the Boeing 747 was turned into a field hospital as more and more of the group became ill. Its thought they contracted the food poisoning from the last meal in a Beijing hotel.
Dr Qin, who is now in Arbroath, said: “The aircraft did not have the necessary medicines, so I decided to use traditional Chinese methods, including acupuncture.
“Unfortunately, I had no needles, as you are not permitted to carry sharp objects on an aircraft, so I used my fingers instead on the acupuncture points of the boys worst affected and the symptoms lessened.
“I treated each patient for 10 to 15 minutes and they felt much better, the sickness had stopped and the pain had gone.”
Before he had treated the teenagers, Dr Qin said that the pilot had considered making an emergency landing at an alternative airfield, but afterwards felt confident enough to fly on to London.
Tony Jackson, deputy head teacher at Bishop Challoner School in South London, said: “The 11-hour journey back turned into a nightmare when the pupils went down with a stomach bug.
“At one stage, there were eight pupils lying on the floor at the back of the aircraft with high temperatures and severe stomach cramps. Thank goodness there were some medical staff travelling on board.
“Dr Qin was one of those who helped and did amazing job looking after the youngsters. He cared for them for over six hours using various techniques. He was a real hero.”
I treated each patient for 10 to 15 minutes and they felt much better
Elliot White, 16, was one of the pupils struck down by the bug. He said: “Dr Qin was amazing. When I had bad stomach pains, he rubbed hard on my hand and they went away. Then when I got very cold and started to shake, he rubbed my back and I stopped shaking and felt a lot better.
“I don’t know what we would have done without him.”
Dr Qin has just finished his first week of work at the Meridian Clinic in Arbroath’s High Street, dispensing traditional Chinese medicine and herbal remedies.
