B737-700
Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 351
Communication Breakdown
Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness / Injury
Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem; Flight Crew Landed As Precaution; General Physical Injury / Incapacitation
Human Factors; Aircraft
Sick Passenger which required us to call STAT-MD through ARINC. Using the VHF frequency chart on one of the last pages of our [release]; we attempted to call ARINC; which we could talk to; but barely understood them. We tried a different frequency which was no better. We needed to talk to Dispatch somehow but were unable to through ARINC and our ACARS showed ACARS NO COMM. While we finally patched with STAT-MD and Dispatch; we wasted around five minutes; which during those minutes we were doing nothing to get ahead of this sick Passenger's situation. ACARS and ARINC is not always reliable.
B737 Captain reported a critical communication breakdown when trying to reach STAT-MD regarding a passenger illness.