20-month-old needing urgent medical procedure airlifted from Agartala

KOLKATA: A 20-month-old infant from Agartala with congenital anomaly needing urgent medical procedure in Kolkata was airlifted by Air India on Thursday. The child is currently admitted in a hospital off the EM Bypass and will undergo an operation on Saturday.
When doctors in Agartala told Maran and Soma Debnath that their newborn boy who choked every time he tried to have milk required a complicated surgery and that could be done only by specialists in Kolkata, the family was in a fix over how to commute, given not just the child’s medical complications but also the uncertainty and risk involved with flight travel during Covid.
The child suffered from tracheo-oesophageal fistula, a condition in which there is a connection between the lower part of the oesophagus or the food pipe with the trachea or wind pipe.
Frequent flyers in Agartala advised them to opt for national carrier Air India for the rather delicate journey. The couple then got in touch with the airline station manager at Agartala and explained their pressing need to travel.
Sensing the need to help the couple who appeared at a loss, the AI official, Sujoy Ghosh, pulled out all stops to make necessary arrangements and took up the matter with the airline’s Kolkata office to ensure the couple and the infant could travel at the earliest. The parents were guided on the travel documents and medical requirements for the travel.
Making the inflight medical arrangements including oxygen cylinders and other essentials was a herculean task, particularly given the Covid-related restrictions that are in force. But various departments of AI like commercial, engineering, IFS, operations and medical rose to the challenge and ensured a smooth flight for the baby in distress.
A visibly emotional Debnath thanked Air India for its spontaneous support and co-operation in flying them to Kolkata braving all odds.“This life-saving medical evacuation to fly the baby in critical health conditions with all mandatory infrastructure in place during these challenging times reiterates the role AI has been playing to serve as the lifeline of the nation and its nationals,” an Air India spokesperson said.