35,000 Feet, One Medical Emergency… And A Dubai-Raised Doctor Says “I Can Help”

Most flights are the same: seatbelt sign, snack cart, someone reclining like they pay your rent. This one? Mid-air chaos.

At 35,000 feet, an announcement cut through the cabin:

“Is there a doctor on board?”

That was when one calm voice stood up and said, “I can help.”

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And just like that, a life was saved.

On The Lovin Dubai Show, we sat down with Dr. Anees Mohamed, the Dubai-raised medical professional who stepped into emergency mode in the sky… and later became the first non-Uzbek person to be honoured as a national hero in Uzbekistan.

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Dr. Anees has that rare combo of:

• calm under pressure
• humble to the bone
• and the kind of focus you only get from years of training

When we introduced him on the show, it wasn’t just “doctor saves life.” It was Dubai-raised talent showing up big, internationally!

Dr. Anees told us the incident happened back in July, on a packed flight from Tashkent to Delhi. An announcement came once. Then again. At first, he tried to stay in passenger mode, eat the meal and mind his business. But when the crew asked directly, he stepped in.

He was taken to a 48-year-old woman who, at first glance, looked like she might be having a panic attack… but something felt off

Dr. Anees checked her vitals and immediately saw red flags. Her heart rate was extremely high (around 150+), and it wasn’t adding up with a simple anxiety episode.

So he did what good medical professionals do: went back to basics. He asked about her history and learned she was traveling for liver surgery and had a history of SVT… and she’d missed her medication that morning.

Now here’s the problem: the typical medication used in SVT emergencies is adenosine, and you don’t exactly find that sitting next to the peanuts and ginger ale.

This is where the story turns into actual movie material

With no emergency medication available, Dr. Anees decided to go non-pharmacological, meaning: treating without drugs.

He used techniques like:

• a modified Valsalva manoeuvre (controlled breathing and repositioning that can help reset heart rhythm)
• carotid massage (performed carefully on the carotid area to help slow the heart rate)

He admits he was internally freaking out, but he kept the calm face on because if the doctor panics, everyone panics!

And it worked!

She stabilised, gradually improved, and the captain arranged for the flight to be prioritised so she could get help on landing.

One detail that stood out: Dr. Anees gave major credit to the flight crew

They followed protocol, kept things calm, and moved the passenger to a more private area near the back, away from the aisle so she wasn’t surrounded by a crowd.

It wasn’t dramatic. It was professional. Quiet, controlled, focused.

Exactly what you’d want in an emergency… especially when you’re literally in the sky.

We asked the question everyone wants to know: after she stabilised, did he have that emotional “you’re okay” moment?

His answer was super real: not immediately.

Because until she was in a hospital with proper equipment, he couldn’t fully relax. In his head, it was still a provisional diagnosis and he did what made the most sense clinically with the tools available.

You’d think the story ends with a safe landing and a grateful passenger…

Nope. Because later, Dr. Anees gets a call from his university, Tashkent State Medical University, telling him to dress up and show up the next day.

He thinks: “Cute, maybe a certificate.”

Instead, he walks into a full-on surprise situation:

• a big crowd
• media
• translators
• sign interpretation
• a formal event

He’s being awarded as a national hero.

And not only that, he’s the first non-Uzbek to receive the honour. He said he started freaking out the moment he realised it was real.

Even after all of that recognition, Dr. Anees kept saying the same thing:

“What he did was what any trained doctor would do”

And he used the moment to shine a light on the people who don’t get awards, headlines, or applause, his mentors and medical teams pulling 12-hour shifts, 24-hour shifts, constant high-stakes decisions, emotional stress, grief, trauma, pressure every single day!

Hero without a cape… but with serious main character energy

Dr. Anees Mohamed is one of those people who reminds you that heroes don’t always look like superheroes.

Sometimes they look like a calm passenger on a flight… who stands up, does the work, saves the day and then goes back to finish his meal.

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