Travel Medical Emergencies: Expect the Unexpected | Aviation International News

Travel Medical Emergencies: Expect the Unexpected

In a panel discussion at NBAA's Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference, several industry members shared experiences and advice on medical emergencies.

Mark Zakula (right) shares his travel experiences as part of the Managing Surprise Medical Issues panel discussion during NBAA's Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference which was held as a live event for the first time in two years, in San Diego. Co-presenters Karl Kamps, Aircare International's v-p of operations, and Denise Gouvin, passenger services manager with Travelers Indemnity, look on. (Photo: Curt Epstein/AIN)

By Curt Epstein • Business Aviation Services Editor

June 1, 2022

For travelers and aircraft crews alike, experiencing a medical emergency in a foreign country is a major fear, but for corporate pilot Mark Zakula, that nightmare played out when he suffered a life-threatening issue while on a mission to Israel five years ago.

While dining with his fellow crewmembers in a Tel Aviv hotel, he suddenly felt chest pains and began sweating. He returned to his hotel room to call his company’s medical provider. “That was my first mistake,” he told the audience during a panel discussion on managing surprise medical issues at NBAA’s Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference, held in April in San Diego. “Never ever go somewhere by yourself when you think you are having a heart attack because I could have ended up dead in my room and nobody would have known.”

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