A 40-year-old mum from Atauro Island, facing severe complications during childbirth, was rescued by an MAF flight which helped her get specialist care.
Filomena Maria Lopes de Carvalho is back home on Atauro Island with newborn Melita in her arms after an MAF medevac brought her to the mainland.
The mum was in the 36th week of her pregnancy when she suffered bleeding during childbirth that meant she needed to get further medical treatment in Timor-Leste’s national hospital.
An MAF medevac brought her quickly to Dili where medical staff were able to save the mother and safely deliver the little girl. A sea crossing from the clinic on Atauro Island would not have been a suitable option at that stage.
“We could not travel by boat because, with my condition, it would be difficult to overcome the strong sea waves, and I would have to be transferred to Dili immediately,” Mrs Carvalho said.
“I felt hopeless at that time, but when I heard the MAF plane had arrived to transfer me to Dili, I felt I still had a chance to survive, especially for the baby in my tummy.”
... I felt I still had a chance to survive, especially for the baby in my tummy.
The MAF aircraft VH-MQU, piloted by Captain Jan Klassen, was called to the island’s airstrip when the mother-of-seven developed complications.
“I felt pain, and my husband took me to the hospital. When I arrived at the healthcare centre, my amniotic fluid came out,” said Mrs Carvalho.
“The nurses at the health care centre decided to transfer me to the national hospital of Guido Valadares (HNGV) for further medical treatment.”
Jaime Maria Lopes de Carvalho, a doctor who works for the national ambulance and emergency evacuation (SNAEM), explained how vital the MAF flight was for the patient.
“We received a call from the health centre on Atauro Island informing us that we had a patient in premature labour who was bleeding and needed to be referred to the national hospital for immediate treatment,” said Dr Carvalho.
“She is in a critical situation and needs to get special treatment, but the air transportation provided by MAF has helped us bring her from Atauro to Dili, and it can save her life.”