When Mollik fell seriously ill, her journey by foot and by air highlighted the challenges faced by isolated villages—and the vital role of MAF.
Story by Bridget Ingham
It was 12-year-old Mollik’s first flight in an aeroplane. However, this wasn’t a flight to visit family, or to get to school, or to take part in a church youth conference, like other 12-year-olds. In fact, Mollik was barely aware of what was happening or where she was going.
She had fallen sick and was not getting better. Her family decided to carry her on foot to the nearest medical aid post at Sengapi, since there was no community health worker in their home village of Gebrau. Although it was only a few kilometres as the eagle flies, the rugged terrain of the Papua New Guinea highlands meant that it took two days for them to get there.
We rejoice when they recover, and we grieve for those like Mollik who do not. But we keep flying, in hope, knowing that each life is precious to our heavenly Father
The health worker at Sengapi diagnosed Mollik as suffering from tuberculosis meningitis - a potentially life-threatening condition - and tried all the treatments available. After two weeks, there was still no improvement. Mollik could not walk and had stopped talking and eating. The health worker informed MAF that she needed to be airlifted to Mount Hagen to be transferred to Kudjip Hospital.
The next day, the MAF aircraft arrived. I prepared a stretcher harness for Mollik, and with the help of the health worker and family members, carefully lifted her into the aeroplane and made her as comfortable as possible.
Once all the passengers were on board, I prayed for them all, especially Mollik.
Mollik’s condition was stable through the 20-minute flight to Hagen, and she and her guardian were taken straightaway to Kudjip hospital.
Over the next two months, she continued to receive treatment, but sadly her condition continued to deteriorate and she passed away.
Shortly afterward, another MAF flight was arranged to take her body back to Gebrau.
Life is hard in remote communities like Gebrau and Sengapi, and the people are resilient and resourceful. But there are times when medical conditions cannot be treated, and MAF is needed to fly patients to a bigger centre.
We rejoice when they recover, and we grieve for those like Mollik who do not. But we keep flying, in hope, knowing that each life is precious to our heavenly Father.
Mollik’s first MAF flight had been in an attempt to save her life; her last MAF flight was when she was taken home.