SAA A340 diverts to Heathrow in the early hours

[Juud]

Hand Solo has the definitive answer.

it might have been an overreaction by the doc onboard

Mikehotel152, speaking from experience, aiport medics, while undoubtedly good at what they do, tend to have a 'macho' display attitude. Unless the patient is actually dead, they will, in my experience, invariably downplay the seriousness of the patient's condition, thereby (subconsciously?) trying to make themselves look superior to any doctors involved in the case.
Looking at it objectively, why would these medics you mention be more qualified to diagnose the patient's condition than the MD who had been dealing with that patient for the last 3 hours?

Illustration. Had a passenger who developed heart problems over Africa last week. By a fluke of coincidence, the man's own cardiologist, who had treated him for years, was also on the flight.
The cardiologist deemed it best that we continue to our home base another 5 hours away. (for similar reasons asmentioned in this thread; Africa is NOT a good place to go down for specialist care) He also deemed it best if the patient would be directly transported to his own hospital. Where they had all his medical history, knew what was what and because it would calm the patient's nerves to get to a familiar hospital. All this plus the patient extensive previous heart problems, we passed on via satphone to the airport's medical department. The medics, when they finally arrived 45 minutes after parking, waved off the cardiologist's directions, and had we not put a stop to them, would have put the patient in a wheelchair and wheeled him off to the airport's medical department. Rather than following the Doc's orders and stretcher him immediately to the hospital.
Not saying all medics are cowboys, but in my experience they often try to make light of things.