Serving with Enga Baptist Health Services, a nursing officer witnesses how MAF-enabled aerial health patrols are improving health care access for the isolated people of Yambaitok.
Story by Kowara Bell
Marino Vickers, an enthusiastic young nurse from Western Australia, joined friend and nursing student Chelsea Mills to volunteer on an ‘aerial health patrol’ to the remote community of Yambaitok in Papua New Guinea’s rugged highlands region.
“When Chelsea asked if I wanted to go to PNG with her, I said, ‘Okay!’ And just like that, here I am,” said Marino.
Funded by MAF through donor support, the aerial health patrol is a three-day fly-in clinic providing vital support to underserved communities by delivering preventive healthcare and monitoring community health – aiming to reduce the number of emergency cases. Health professionals are flown from Kompiam Hospital into communities with no road link, such as Yambaitok.
The access options are simple: You can walk from Kompiam to Yambaitok, which takes about one week, or you can fly there with a MAF plane in just 15 minutes.
For a volunteer like Marino, joining the patrol was a once-in-a- lifetime experience, giving her a glimpse of what life is like cut off from the outside world.
“When you're in the big city or a bigger town then you have a lot more resources available,” said Marino. “You don't realise how much you have until you come to somewhere like Yambaitok, Kompiam or other remote places in PNG.”
Marino, who comes from a big family with four sisters and two brothers, highlighted that the more rural and isolated a place is, the fewer resources are available.
MAF is doing an amazing job organising and coordinating flights to bring healthcare to the people who otherwise wouldn’t see it, or they would have to walk for days to get help.
“Even just basic needs like hand sanitiser, iodine and other things that are readily available in the towns and cities will be just so helpful to bring into these areas – because they are not just readily available to use, like we have in the city,” she said.
“Flying in an aeroplane is really amazing. MAF is doing an amazing job organising and coordinating flights to bring healthcare to the people who otherwise wouldn’t see it, or they would have to walk for days to get help,” Marino said.
Jenny Tolai, mother of three from Yambaitok, said she was delighted to see Marino and other health workers visit the community to assist their local health worker in caring for their children and the sick in the community.
“I am thankful to see the doctors and nurses helping our children, mothers and those with minor illnesses and providing us with the medication we need.”
Jenny highlighted that without MAF flights they would not receive such assistance.
“I thank MAF for bringing health workers to Yambaitok — without MAF, we would not have received any medical help.”