On Sunday, November 6, Suman, a 32-year-old soldier from Kerala’s Nilambur, was enroute to Jammu and Kashmir when he collapsed in the flight about 20 minutes after takeoff. He was returning to duty after leave when he suddenly felt unwell. When there was an announcement requesting any medical professionals among the passengers to intervene, P Geetha, a 56-year-old nurse from Kozhikode, was the first to step forward. By then, the soldier was unconscious and did not have a pulse. Geetha, along with a few other doctors, began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and revived him.

Geetha is a National Florence Nightingale 2020 awardee. She was on her way to New Delhi to attend a felicitation by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan when she saved Suman’s life. She had received the award in an online ceremony in 2020 on account of the pandemic and was travelling to Delhi for the felicitation ceremony. Earlier the Nursing Superintendent at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital, Geetha presently works as a nurse in a private hospital.

Speaking to TNM, Geetha said that as soon as she heard the announcement, she stepped forward to help, after which a couple of doctors also joined her. “Upon checking Suman’s condition, I found that his blood pressure and pulse rate were alarmingly low, and he had stopped breathing. After CPR, we administered intravenous (IV) fluid and he regained consciousness in a while. He was also able to eat,” she said.

As soon as the flight landed, Suman was given medical attention. Only after handing him over to the medical team did Geetha and the other doctors leave the spot.

Geetha’s National Florence Nightingale Award citation refers to her over three-decade experience and her work during the deadly Nipah viral outbreak in Kerala in 2018. Her participation in disaster management operations during the 2018 and 2019 Kerala floods and during the COVID-19 pandemic has also been underlined as testimony to her efficiency and commitment. Geetha was also the recipient of the Kerala state government’s Best Nurse award in 2019.