Patients in rural Gulf to be airlifted by Manolos

PATIENTS in remote areas of Gulf will be airlifted to hospitals for referrals after a memorandum of agreement signed by Governor Chris Haiveta and Manolos Aviation Ltd.
During a tour of the Manolos heliport in Lae, Haiveta said he had a responsibility to people living on the border between Gulf and Morobe especially in remote Menyamya and Aseki on the Morobe side.
“Getting in and out of these rural villages is challenging, because there are no roads,” he said.
“Through public-private partnerships, I can get people in and out.”
Haiveta said there were many medical cases that required urgent referral but the critical ones would be evacuated by helicopter, while others would have to go by normal flights.
He said having the programme with Manolos was more efficient.
“The border of Kerema and Menyamya districts is just 30 minutes flight from Lae,” Haiveta said.
Manolos chief executive officer Jurgen Ruh said the company had done a number of medical evacuations (medevac) from Gulf villages, especially from Kerema’s Kaintiba rural local level government (LLG) to Lae, and was happy to continue the service.
Ruh said there had been a number of cases over the years from Gulf airlifted to Lae for treatment.
“Mothers with child-birth complications and victims of snakebites have been flown to Angau Hospital for treatment,” he said.
He said Manolos was the only company with helicopters equipped to do medical airlifts in remote places, and hoped that Gulf’s Kerema and Kikori districts would introduce the programme soon.