Guest at hotel who happened to be a doctor helped save a little boy

Photo Cred: CPR stock images

An Umhlanga hotel guest, who also happened to be a doctor, jumped in to save a little boy who had been fighting for his life after drowning.

A 7-year-old boy who did not have a pulse for more 45 minutes was resuscitated by a hotel guest who does not want to be named, emergency services and persistent paramedics.

According to Marshall Security, emergency services were called to the scene at a popular hotel in Umhlanga Rocks, north of Durban, shortly after 14:00 on Wednesday, after the boy was found floating unresponsive in the hotel swimming pool.

“The child was pulled out of the water and found to be in a state of cardiac arrest. A guest at the hotel who happened to be a qualified medical doctor, immediately initiated Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation whilst a call for assistance was made,” said Marshall Security spokesperson Kyle Van Reenen.

A joint effort between members of several emergency teams (Marshall Security’s Medical Support Team, Crisis Medical, and Netcare 911) saw paramedics work fervently for over forty-five minutes before the boy’s pulse was restored.

The child was rushed to Umhlanga Hospital while under constant advanced life support monitoring, where he remains in a critical but stable condition.

Commenting on the incident, Netcare 911 said it proves that early CPR works, and shows why it’s advisable that everyone should do a CPR course.

Click here to connect with the ‘Resuscitation Council of South Africa’ to learn more about CPR and find out where you can take a course.