Medivac saves mother and baby

PROMPT action by officers of a mining company saved the lives of a mother and her baby in Morobe last month, it has been revealed.
Expectant mother Lupito Russell, 24, from Bavaga village, started labour contractions on July 24. Three days later she was rushed to the Wafi health sub-centre in a life-threatening situation.
Wafi-Golpu Joint Venture’s health extension officer Philip Dulau and the clinic’s community health worker Robert Kitumga assessed Russell’s condition and immediately raised the alarm.
“The membrane had ruptured and we could see the baby’s head but the baby couldn’t be delivered. This was high risk and is life-threatening for both mother and baby,” Dulau said.
Dulau, with the help of the mining company, contacted Manolos, the helicopter company contracted by the Morobe government to conduct medivac in rural areas of the province. Russell was airlifted from the WGJV camp to the Angau Memorial General Hospital. She gave birth to a healthy baby boy on July 27.
Kitumga thanked the mining company for the assistance offered and the Morobe government for its medivac programme, which had saved many lives since its inception.
“I also encourage expecting mothers to attend antenatal clinics so that early signs of risks can be identified,” he said.