Mangaluru, August 20, 2024: A Vietnamese chief cook aboard the merchant vessel Bohwa Amoy was saved after suffering a heart attack while docked at New Mangalore Port. The ship, carrying 7,141.8 tonnes of raw cashew nuts for Bolas Agro Private Limited, arrived on August 13.
On August 16, the ship’s master reported the cook’s chest pain to ETA Shipping and Logistics, which promptly arranged for his transfer to Athena Hospital. There, Dr. M. S. Puthran of the Shipping Corporation of India and Dr. Ashith D. Shettian treated him, placing him in the ICU.
The patient was later moved to Kasturba Medical College (KMC) Hospital on August 19, where Dr. M. Padmanabha Kamath performed an angioplasty on August 20. Dr. Kamath noted that the cook’s condition would have been critical if the heart attack had occurred at sea. The cook is now stable and expected to be discharged on August 23, after which he will return to Vietnam. Quick assistance from New Mangalore Port officials, immigration, customs, and health services played a key role in saving his life.