Ebel's Blogmail

The radio call came in.
MIKE FOXTROT JULIET You need to pick up Dr Mike there is an urgent medivac at Yehebi.

We do medivacs often here at Rumginae and sometimes they really through a wrench in the works, sometimes stranding passengers or making a really long day even longer, sometimes causing long flights half way or more across the province to pick up a urgent sick patient.

This morning it worked perfect. Just the day before Nick (the other pilot here) had just finished installing a HF radio in his house, so when Dr Mike (Pioneer’s Mission doctor from the US) needed to get a hold of us he was able to call out on the company HF radio frequency and our Kiunga base was right away able to answer him and then get a hold of me in MFJ. I had just taken off from a place called Haewenai, which is just north of Rumginae, taking some health workers out, so 5 minutes later I was landing at Rumginae and Dr Mike was running up, 5 minutes later paperwork done, Dr & medical kit aboard we takeoff and fly another 10 minutes and drop my first set of passengers of at Kiunga. We put on fuel and headed straight to Yehebi where a 10 yr old boy had been bitten by a snake the evening before. A runner had to run 4 hours to the nearest working radio to call for help. (Yehebi has a radio but they had previously in the week sent out the mike to get repaired). It is a 30 minute flight to Yehebi, nestled in the curve of the river at the bottom of a shallow valley. It is an interesting airstrip with part of the approach running close along the ridgeline. Now while Yehebi is a nice place to visit, it is not one of the places I enjoy arriving or leaving as it is a short runway in a confined valley.

Without radio contact we didn’t know if we would arrive in time or if was too late. Once on the ground the health care worker, Harin, rushed up to the airplane, very relieved to see us. The boy is still alive but in bad shape. My part now done, it’s Dr Mike’s turn, he starts first with prayer, then a shot of adrenaline, followed by the anti venom treatment.

The aidpost is a hut made out of bush materials crammed full of curious people/family watching, there is the mother holding her son wailing and singing in their language. People are wailing outside, prospect of a good outcome were slim just a few minutes earlier now were looking much better. Just this week I heard of two snake bite victims who didn’t make it.

Harin had done all the right things and had kept the boy alive till we arrived. Now it will just be a matter of a couple hours and the boy should be well on his way to recovery. With Dr Mike’s part finished we could go and leave the recovery in Harin’s capable hands, Harin, I think would have been happier if we had taken the boy with us but there really was nothing else to be done but to let the anti venom work.

This was a God moment right from the start, had my day gone to my plan I would have at that time been much further away with a 400 kg cargo of vanilla plant cuttings for a community to start a small industry. It would have meant a long delay at a critical time. But due to fog at Haewenai, I was delayed this morning as I sat in my airplane for 30 minutes waiting on a good weather report before taking off. Thanks Lord!

The partnership between MAF and Rumginae Mission Hospital is crucial for the health of the people of Western province. Without us the hospital would be helpless as calls for help came in via the radio and without Rumginae Hospital we would have nowhere to take the many sick and dying. Please remember in prayer the hospital staff, mission drs and us pilots as we expect demand for medivacs to increase as two of the busiest aidposts close due to lack of health care staff. Please remember the health staff in the bush as it is a tough calling with little earthly reward and tremendous pressure.

As for us we are all well and healthy, it has been a very busy month, too busy, and we look forward to bringing some more balance to the pace.

Over Easter we are planning on returning to Mt Bosavi with Dr Mike and his family to show the Jesus Film.

Thanks for Praying!