Doctor on duty at 30,000 ft
Strap: Politician on earth, life-saver in the sky: ex-MLA’s steady hands save American mid-flight
Blurb:
The American was Jenny from California, who is currently staying with her in-laws in Delhi. In a twist that felt almost scripted, her mother-in-law’s name is also Anjali and she, too, is a doctor.
Byline: Ravi Kiran
Thousands of feet above the ground, with the cabin lights dimmed and the hum of engines steady, a life slipped away and was pulled back by instinct, training and sheer nerve.
On a Goa–New Delhi flight on Sunday, former Karnataka MLA and doctor Anjali Nimbalkar turned an ordinary journey into a mid-air rescue that passengers and crew will remember long after touchdown.
Nimbalkar, an AICC secretary and Congress co-incharge of Goa, Daman & Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, was headed to Delhi to attend the party’s rally at Ramlila Maidan. Politics was on her mind. So was duty, though that would only reveal itself when a fellow passenger collapsed.
Midway through the flight, an American woman, later identified as Jenny, complained of uneasiness and shivering. Moments later, she fainted. Her pulse dropped. Panic rippled through the aisle. That’s when the doctor in Nimbalkar took over.
She began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), working to revive the woman as fellow passengers watched in stunned silence. “She was unconscious, her pulse was falling, and I gave her CPR, and she managed to regain consciousness,” Dr Nimbalkar said later. The crisis, however, was far from over.
Nimbalkar stayed by Jenny’s side for the rest of the flight, monitoring her condition and offering constant reassurance. She soon pieced together what may have triggered the collapse – the passenger was suffering from stomach ailments, had not eaten since Friday, and had taken a few tablets before take-off. Electrolyte water was given. For a while, it seemed to work. Then Jenny fell ill again.
“With no IV line on the flight. I started resuscitating her again,” Dr Nimbalkar recalled. Time suddenly became the enemy. She asked the air hostess how long it would take to land. The answer, one and a half hours, sent a chill down her spine. “I panicked and thought I would lose her by the time we landed,” she said.
What followed was a race against gravity, altitude and uncertainty. For 15 to 20 minutes, Nimbalkar kept at it, refusing to give up. Slowly, the signs returned. Pulse. Blood pressure. Breath. “Miracles do happen,” she said simply.
Even as she worked to stabilise the patient, Nimbalkar was thinking ahead. She instructed the cabin crew to arrange for an ambulance to be waiting on the tarmac. The flight was given priority landing, and as soon as the wheels touched down in Delhi, medical help was ready.
Jenny was shifted to a hospital immediately after landing. According to sources, her condition had stabilised. She is from California and is currently staying with her in-laws in Delhi. In a twist that felt almost scripted, her mother-in-law’s name is also Anjali and she, too, is a doctor.
Word of the mid-air rescue spread quickly, drawing praise from passengers, crew members and, soon, the highest political office in the state.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah lauded Nimbalkar in a social media post, calling her actions an example of presence of mind and compassion. He said he was “deeply moved and incredibly proud” to hear how the former Khanapur MLA had instantly risen to the occasion and administered timely CPR, saving a precious life.
What made the act even more inspiring, the Chief Minister said, was that Nimbalkar, despite having stepped away from active medical practice and being immersed in politics, responded without hesitation. “This selfless act reflects not just professional expertise, but a profound sense of humanity, service, and responsibility toward fellow beings,” he wrote on social media.
“Whether in power or not, leaders like Dr Anjali Nimbalkar stand as shining examples of true public service,” Siddaramaiah added, saying such individuals remind society of the true meaning of leadership.
Nimbalkar’s response was characteristically grounded. Thanking the Chief Minister, she said she had merely done her duty. “It is also my job and duty as a doctor to serve in this capacity whenever required,” she wrote, adding that the appreciation meant a lot coming from someone she described as an example of social commitment.
Online, the story struck a deeper chord. Amid the daily scroll of outrage and noise, many users called the episode a quiet reminder of humanity at its best.
“In a world full of headlines, this one restores faith in humanity,” read one widely shared post on X. “No cameras. No politics. Just duty, courage, and compassion.”
For Bangalore, and Karnataka, it was a moment of pride carried on wings. A reminder that sometimes, far above the ground, leadership looks less like slogans and more like steady hands refusing to let a pulse fade.