A beautiful black lady who’s a doctor by profession says cabin crew at Delta Airlines refused to believe she was a health professional when another passenger suffered a medical emergency.
Dr Tamika Cross, a physician from Houston in Texas, was flying from Detroit on Delta airlines when a man a few seats in front of her became unresponsive.
She raised her hand when the flight attendant called for a physician, but was apparently told: ‘Oh no sweetie, put your hand down, we are looking for actual physicians or nurses or some type of medical personnel, we don’t have time to talk to you.’
Writing about the experience on Facebook, Dr Cross added: ‘I tried to inform her that I was a physician but I was continually cut off by condescending remarks.’
The cabin crew then said on the tannoy, ‘Any physician on board please press your button’.
‘I stare at her as I go to press my button,’ Dr Cross wrote. ‘She said, “Oh wow you’re an actual physician?” I reply yes.
‘She said, “Let me see your credentials. What kind of doctor are you? Where do you work? Why were you in Detroit?” (Please remember this man is still in need of help and she is blocking my row from even standing up while bombarding me with questions).
‘I respond “OBGYN, work in Houston, in Detroit for a wedding, but believe it or not they DO HAVE doctors in Detroit. Now excuse me so I can help the man in need”.’
But then, another doctor – a white male – also came forward, and the flight attendant allegedly dismissed Dr Cross.
‘Another “seasoned” white male approaches the row and says he is a physician as well,’ she said.
‘She says to me “thanks for your help but he can help us, and he has his credentials”. (Mind you he hasn’t shown anything to her. Just showed up and fit the “description of a doctor”). I stay seated. Mind blown. Blood boiling.’
Dr Cross said she was later offered air miles as an apology.
‘I don’t want skymiles in exchange for blatant discrimination,’ she said. ‘Whether this was race, age, gender discrimination, it’s not right.’
Delta released a statement saying it was investigating Dr Cross’s claims.
Delta continues to investigate a story surfaced by Dr. Tamika Cross in a recent post on Facebook.
Delta Airlines’ statement in full
‘We are troubled by any accusations of discrimination and take them very seriously. The experience Dr. Cross has described is not reflective of Delta’s culture or of the values our employees live out every day.
‘We are in the process of conducting a full investigation. We’ve reached out to Dr. Cross to speak with her directly, talked with our crew members and we’re reaching out to customers who were on board to gather as much information as we can.
‘While there is much we can’t share because our investigation involves confidential personnel matters, we do want to share what we can.
‘Three medical professionals identified themselves on the flight in question. Only one was able to produce documentation of medical training and that is the doctor who was asked to assist the customer onboard. In addition, paramedics met the flight to assist the customer further.
‘Flight attendants are trained to collect information from medical volunteers offering to assist with an on-board medical emergency. When an individual’s medical identification isn’t available, they’re instructed to ask questions such as where medical training was received or whether an individual has a business card or other documentation and ultimately to use their best judgment.
‘Delta’s commitment to diversity, inclusion and respect of all of our customers worldwide is rooted deeply in our company’s values and culture. As a global carrier with a diverse workforce, serving a diverse customer base, we are committed to treating all passengers with kindness and respect.’
