Manolos flies mother, baby for treatment

By EREBIRI ZURENUOC
MANOLOS Aviation saved the day, helping evacuate a mother and child from a hopeless situation at a remote area in Eastern Highlands at the weekend.
It underscored the importance of proper care and treatment for women suffering from birth complications, Sr Susan Muro, of Manolos Aviation, said.
In fact, they can save lives, she said. Muro said such a case was that of a mother and her baby from remote Owena in the Lamari local level government area of Obura-Wonenara district. Both were safely returned to their family yesterday.
Diane Martin, 30, had given birth twice before but lost both kids because of the lack of proper healthcare in the area. Her third child, Johnytha Martin, was saved on Saturday after a medevac by Manolos Aviation flew them to Angau Hospital in Lae.
“Both the mother and child could not be taken care of at the Owena Sub-Health Centre because the resources are limited,” Muro said.
“When they were flown to Lae and then brought to Angau Hospital, Diane went through a caesarean which saw the successful delivery of Johnytha.”
She said the mother and baby were so lucky because at first the locals assumed the baby had died.
Martin said she felt labour pain for a whole week and was admitted for one night, on Friday, at the Baptist-run health facility serving the remote Obura area.
“I couldn’t deliver the child and I didn’t know what to do,” she said.
“The health workers couldn’t give me any painkillers because there was no painkiller at the facility.
“They also said they couldn’t do much to save the baby, or even myself, because they didn’t have the proper machines and equipment to do so.”