Commercial Fixed Wing
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Other / Unknown
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Other / Unknown; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury
Flight Crew Returned To Gate; General Flight Cancelled / Delayed
Airport; Staffing
Taxiing out we were informed by the purser that a child was in the lav throwing up.  He was observed sweating profusely when he made his way to the lav.  Further information came to us that he had just arrived from Ethiopia and he and his family were apparently refugees.  He continued vomiting for several minutes.  We decided to return to the gate and seek medical attention. Everything the crew; dispatch; maintenance and station operations did went by the book. Textbook in fact.  The problem is this: Heathrow Airport does not have it's own on-site medical/EMT/paramedic staff on the field.  They have to call London Ambulance service and one is dispatched from off the airfield.  Though the airport ambulance (lift truck to get up to the airplane) was there in 30 minutes; they were not the ambulance corps.  It took over 1 hour and 20 minutes for proper EMTs who could directly treat the passenger to show up. With over 190;000 passengers transiting Heathrow every day; you would think the BAA would have a few full time ambulance corps on site spread throughout the terminals. IATA should raise holy hell with the BAA to right this dangerous situation.
Air carrier Captain laments the fact that London Heathrow Airport does not have its own on-site medical/EMT/paramedic staff on the field. This results in a long delay after returning to the gate with a sick passenger.