Neema and her newborn are doing well after our pilot reacted quickly to fly them to the hospital.
Pilot Peter was right on schedule for MAF’s regular Malambo safari in Tanzania, flying from Arusha to Malambo. However, upon landing, his plans took an unexpected turn. A mother in a critical condition, brought in from a nearby health centre, urgently needed specialised medical care.
The woman, Neema, was due to deliver her child when complications arose, requiring immediate specialised care to save both her and the baby.
I am happy MAF took me to hospital; both myself and the baby are healthy.
Swiftly, Peter removed seats to make room for a soft mattress where the mother was laid and strapped in before taking off for the town of Loliondo. Upon landing at Loliondo airstrip, an ambulance was waiting to transfer the patient to Wasso Hospital.
Travelling by road from Malambo to Loliondo would have taken approximately six hours or longer and considering the mother’s critical condition, it might have even taken longer. In contrast, it only took twenty minutes with the MAF plane. Additionally, heavy rains in the Malambo area would have meant a dangerous and unpredictable crossing of a swollen river.
Peter later shared the good news of a successful delivery through Caesarean section. He said, “The baby was delivered safely, and both the mother and the baby are safe and healthy.”
MAF was called in to transport the mother and baby girl Priscilla back home to Malambo, after a few days in hospital.
Neema shared, “I am happy MAF took me to hospital; both myself and the baby are healthy.”
MAF’s Country Director in Tanzania, Stewart Ayling, said it was remarkable that an MAF plane was in the right place at the right time for an emergency where every moment counts.
“We’re so thankful for God’s perfect timing,” he said. “One of the amazing things about this medevac was the timing, that we happened to be going to Malambo on exactly the day that the lady was delivering the baby.
“If they had to call us to come from another place they may not have survived. In the same way, they were released from hospital exactly on a day that we were in Malambo and in the right place to transfer them.”