Medevac!

I'm an engineer. I really enjoy my work, and get huge amounts of satisfaction from fixing, fabricating, maintaining and repairing aeroplanes. I am also certain that God has called us into this work with MAF, and that this is exactly where I should be. But I know that MAF doesn’t exist here in Uganda just to fix planes. Working with MAF is all about a team working toward a common goal. MAF’s mission statement is: Sharing the love of Jesus Christ through aviation and technology so that isolated people may be physically and spiritually transformed. I don’t often get the chance to see MAF’s work beyond what I do in the hangar, so when one of our pilots, Dave, asked if I would join him on a medevac flight this weekend, I jumped at the chance!!

Lois is a New Zealander who runs a children’s home in Kitgum, and late last week she had a fall that resulted in a broken femur. Kitgum is a pretty remote place way up in the north of Uganda. They have an airstrip there, but it has fallen into disrepair, so the closest airstrip we could fly into was a 2 hr drive to the south east in Kalongo. I’ve been told that a broken femur is a particularly painful injury so I can only imagine how uncomfortable the 2 hour drive in a Landcruiser ambulance, on a dirt road, was for her. MAF were contacted late on Friday afternoon, and asked to fly her to a hospital in Kumi where an orthopaedic specialist is based.

Going through pre-flight checks before we take off

Myself and Dave set off to the hangar first thing on Saturday morning, and after changing some of the seats out in favour of a stretcher, and fuelling the plane, we took off and headed north to the airstrip in Kalongo. Friday’s plan had been for the Kitgum ambulance to set off first thing on Saturday, and we should all have met at more or less the same time in Kalongo.

Approaching Kalongo airstrip - the runway is right at the foot of the big rock you can see.

One of the things I have quickly learned in Africa is that the plan doesn’t always match the reality, and so it wasn’t too much of a surprise for us to learn on arrival, that the ambulance hadn’t left Kitgum, and that we would have a couple of hours waiting before we headed for Kumi.

On the ground, Kalongo

The welcome party!

Lots of interested kids!

With the two guards who watched our plane!

The airstrip at Kalongo is operated by the mission hospital there, and with two guards watching the plane, one of the staff took the time to show us around the hospital while we waited for our passengers. It was my first experience of a rural Ugandan hospital, and quite eye opening. While it was basic, and certainly not modern by our standards, the staff were all immaculately turned out, and obviously went about their work with a genuine compassion.

Post natal check-up line

After a slightly delayed arrival in Kalongo, Lois' ambulance arrived and we were able to get her loaded into the plane ready to fly south.

Ambulance and plane meet.

Not the most comfortable way to spend two hours on a dirt road.

Dave talks to Jackie, the lady travelling with Lois - it's her first plane journey.

Praying before take off.

Soon after we were airborne again, this time making the 45 minute flight south to Kumi. We were told later that the drive from Kitgum to Kumi could take anything between 6 and 8 hrs depending on the road conditions, so even in spite of a bit of turbulence on the short flight, I am sure Lois appreciated the chance to fly instead of taking the Land Cruiser!

The Kumi hospital has its own airstrip, but in recent months that had also become unusable. When it looked like we would be flying Lois to Kumi, a team was put together who spent the whole night working with machete style “slashers” to cut the grass on the strip, and dig out the termite mounds that dotted the runway – quite a feat! They did a good job of it though, and after a low pass to confirm the condition of the runway, Dave was able to land, and hand Lois on to the care of the doctors in Kumi.

Kumi nurses waiting for us at the airstrip.

Kumi Dr's check x-ray before moving Lois.

A very grateful lady!

From a technical point of view, it was a reasonably routine flight with nothing too complicated going on. 
From where Lois lay, it was a hugely appreciated help to her after her accident, saving her from a much longer day of discomfort, and the chances of making a serious injury much worse. 
For me, it was a great opportunity to be reminded of what MAF is all about, and how much of a team effort it all is. When I took this last picture of Lois at Kumi she asked me to thank all the supporters who had made her medevac possible. So thank you to all those who support both MAF as an organisation, and us as a family, in prayer and financially, allowing us to work here and share the love of Jesus Christ through aviation and technology so that isolated people may be physically and spiritually transformed.