Image
A week’s walk in 25 minutes: Medevac just in time for Phimi
Photo by Aquila Matit

From a remote grass airstrip in Papua New Guinea, a young woman with a retained placenta was flown to hospital. The MAF plane arrived at just the right moment.

Story by Pushpa Lawrence

At 9:00am, Phimi Pamehmuli arrived without warning at the Health Centre in Mougulu, on a crude makeshift stretcher.

She had been carried all the way from her village, quite far from Mougulu, a remote out-station in the Strickland Bosavi area of Western Province in Papua New Guinea.

Image
A week’s walk in 25 minutes: Medevac just in time for Phimi
Photo by Aquila Matit
Villages faraway from the Mougulu station and the health centre.

Phimi, in her 20s and pregnant for the first time, had received no prenatal care.

Image
A week’s walk in 25 minutes: Medevac just in time for Phimi
Photo by Aquila Matit
Phimi, now put onto a medevac stretcher and ready to be taken to the airstrip.

Sister Sini Nema, Nursing Officer at the Mougulu Health Centre, was able to gather from Phimi’s husband that she was five months into her pregnancy.

Image
A week’s walk in 25 minutes: Medevac just in time for Phimi
Photo by Aquila Matit
Sister Sini, next to Phimi who is sorted and fixed on the MAF Cessna Caravan.

She had begun preterm labour the previous evening, as a result of malaria-related infections. That was when her family had rushed her to Mougulu. Tragically Phimi had delivered her stillborn baby on the way, but her own life was still in danger. 

Sini examined Phimi and found that the placenta was retained. There were no contractions to expel the placenta and manually removing it was difficult. Oxytocin would have helped – but there was none in stock at the isolated health centre.

“If we kept the mother here anything could have happened to her,” said Sini.

An unexpelled placenta could lead to serious complications for the mother, including excessive bleeding, infection and even death. 

Phimi needed to be sent immediately to the district centre, Kiunga, for treatment.

However, no road exists from Mougulu to Kiunga, only tracks cutting through the jungle – a week’s walk. The MAF plane was the only option. It was a desperate situation.

Providentially, a MAF plane arrived at that moment.

Image
A week’s walk in 25 minutes: Medevac just in time for Phimi
Photo by Aquila Matit
The MAF Cessna Caravan flown by Captain Bridget Ingham arrives at the Mougulu airstrip.

Flown by Bridget Ingham, it had come to drop off some cargo and new teaching staff for Mougulu Secondary School.  Bridget had no prior warning of the medevac that was so keenly needed.

“The plane was here. All we had to do now was to bring her down to the plane,” said Sini.

Image
A week’s walk in 25 minutes: Medevac just in time for Phimi
Photo by Aquila Matit
Captain Bridget Ingham, checks on Phimi and understands her situation before flying her to Kiunga.
Image
A week’s walk in 25 minutes: Medevac just in time for Phimi
Photo by Aquila Matit
Sally sorts out the flight for Phimi and her guardian with Bridget. Phimi's husband was her guardian.
The plane was here. All we had to do now was to bring her down to the plane
Sini Nema

“It was a part of the plan that God had,” added Sally Lloyd, volunteer worker at Mougulu.

Phimi reached Kiunga after a mere 25-minute flight, where she was treated at the Kiunga General Hospital.

Image
A week’s walk in 25 minutes: Medevac just in time for Phimi
Photo by Aquila Matit
Phimi arrived at the Kiunga MAF base and was immediately taken to the Kiunga General Hospital.

She has since been discharged and has returned home with her family.