Medical evacuation

THE emergency medical evacuation (Medevac) service provided by the Manalos Aviation Ltd in partnership with the provincial government saves lives of people in the rural areas of Morobe.
People living in the rural areas, particularly the remote Menyamya/Aseki continue to benefit from this service.
I knew people who were ill-health and in critical conditions being medevac’d to Lae’s Angau Hospital.
Mothers having complications in relation to birth deliveries were common, because of lack of mid-wifery services including proper facility and equipment to assist deliveries.
The most recent being the woman bitten by snake, airlifted to Lae because the district health centre doesn’t have the anti-
venom or polyvalent snake anti-venom.
While the medevac service is applauded, it is more appropriate and cost-effective for such cases to be attended at the district hospital.
Appropriate and relevant staffing and equipment and facilities urgently needed to be installed at the district hospital by the relevant health and district authorities of the district to minimise medevac exercises to Lae.

Vinson Silas
Integrated Wapi, Menyamya