Life-Saving Medevacs
In a remote village nestled in the lush mountains of Papua New Guinea, a mother with child-birth complication lies critically ill, in need of urgent medical attention. The nearest hospital is hours away, and the only way to reach it is through treacherous terrains.
Now, picture the relief of having a medical evacuation helicopter from Mountain Area Medical Airlift Foundation on standby, ready to swoop in and transport the mother to safety in a matter of minutes. The once dire situation turns into a story of hope and survival, so many have a testament to this relentless pursuit of help.
Thanks to your collective efforts, and the power of GoFundMe, families no longer have to endure the agony of helplessness when faced with medical emergencies.
With every donation, a lifeline is extended to those in need, bridging the gap between remote areas and life-saving medical care of urban hospitals.
This GoFundMe is not just a platform; it's a beacon of hope, bringing light to the darkest corners and transforming the lives of the underprivileged with each flight taken.
The untold hardships
Background
Jurgen Ruh came from Germany to PNG in 1983 and never looked back. After completing 41 years in the country and conducting medical evacuations for 15 years, he wants to invite the wider public to participate in the medical evacuation operation.
Jurgen operated a marine salvage business in Rabaul, when he decided to buy a helicopter to beat the competition, and being able to get to the salvage site first with his one machine. Once established in Lae, he realized the need to assist mothers with birth complications, and every flight Jurgen conducted, gave him more motivation to do better.
He has seen mothers, bleeding from unassisted childbirth, being carried through the jungle, down a steep cliff, across the rapids, up a steep cliff, just to arrive at the health centre where there is not much more than cotton buds to wipe the blood. That location was just 12 minutes flight away from Lae, so close yet so far.
Another event was at Christmas. Other operators requested payment from the Health Department first, which is impossible during holidays. Jurgen saved the mother and worry about money was secondary.
From here on, he realized this beautiful task. He had the resources to change a mother’s worst day of her life into the best day of her life! And its not just her, the husband still has a wife and the child still has a mother, who felt the pain of giving birth to the child, also she may have other children who still have a mother to grow up with.
In PNG every fifth child will not reach the age of five. Every other year Jurgen came across a mother who gave birth to triplets, unassisted. Giving birth to triplets on your own is unknown in the western world, little alone surviving the ordeal.
In 2019, Jurgen retrieved a mother with triplets from the Jungle of the Eastern Highlands province. Each child was around 1kg and the mother had retained placenta. The mother, plus one child would have been dead in days, but the airlift to ANGAU Provincial Hospital in Lae plus six weeks in the Special Care Nursery made one big happy family.
Jurgen’s first helicopter in 2008 was the German Built BO 105 Twin Turbine Helicopter. At that time, this helicopter was eight years behind worlds best standards. Today this helicopter would be 24 years behind world’s best standard, and Jurgen has decided to upgrade to larger, modern and well-equipped aircrafts that can fly safely at night and in adverse weather conditions.
The Upgrade is mainly needed in respect of space in the helicopter, for the event of a mother giving birth inside the Helicopter.
Your support can turn despair into resilience and vulnerability into strength. Please share this GoFundMe Link along to other people in your community.
Thank you!
Link to GoFundMe will be posted soon!
