'Miracle' baby delivered by passenger during flight to Uganda

The baby was called 'Miracle Aisha' after the doctor who helped deliver her.

A Canadian doctor was applauded by dozens of passengers on a flight from Doha, Qatar to Entebbe, Uganda after helping deliver a "miracle" baby on board.

During the Qatar Airways flight, an emergency call-out was made on the intercom for a medical professional and Dr Aisha Khatib quickly made herself known to cabin crew.

"I see a crowd of people gathered around the patient," Khatib, who works as a professor at the University of Toronto, told BBC News.

"As I got closer I see this woman lying on the seat with her head toward the aisle and feet towards the window. And the baby was coming out!"

A paediatrician from Doctors Without Borders and an oncology nurse was also present to help Khatib, according to NY Post.

"I looked at the baby, and she was stable, and I looked at the mum and she was OK," Khatib said.

"So I was like, 'Congratulations it's a girl.' Then the entire plane started clapping and cheering and was like 'Oh right, I'm on a plane and everybody is watching this'."

Khatib told the Global Times she remembered thinking "I need clamps, scissors, and if not clamps I need shoelaces."

"Luckily, there was a delivery kit in the medical kit so we were able to clamp and cut the umbilical cord," she added.

Is there a doctor on the plane? 🙋🏽‍♀️👩🏽‍⚕️Never thought I’d be delivering a baby on a flight! ✈️ @qatarairways Thanks to the airline crew who helped support the birth of this Miracle in the air! Mom and baby are doing well and healthy! #travelmedicine pic.twitter.com/4JuQWfsIDE

— Aisha Khatib, MD (@AishaKhatib) January 13, 2022

The mother was returning home to Uganda in the hopes of delivering her first child there. After the emergency birth, the baby girl was named Miracle Aisha, after Khatib.

In gratitude, Khatib took off a gold necklace she was wearing with "Aisha" written in Arabic and gave it to the mother.

"I thought I'd give it to her and she'll have a little token of the doctor that delivered her 35,000 feet in the air while flying over the Nile," she said.

Khatib recently shared a picture with the flight's new addition on Twitter. Qatar Airways also shared the news on its Twitter account.

Welcome to the world, baby Miracle Aisha! We are truly grateful for the incredible efforts of Dr.@AishaKhatib, together with our cabin crew, whose swift action ensured a safe delivery in the sky on #QatarAirways. Glad to hear mom & baby are healthy & well! https://t.co/m8CIBVKtD2

— Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) January 15, 2022

The birth happened on December 5, but Khatib said she had been too busy treating Covid-19 patients in Toronto to post any images. Khatib usually trains medical workers in Uganda but was requested to return to Toronto to help with Covid cases.