Young mothers with Critical Child-birth complications in remote Papua New Guinea need Urgent Blood Transfusions

Mother in urgent need for blood transfusion was transferred into an ambulance at the Manolos Heliport in Lae on 19th Feb.

In February 2025 Mountain Area Medical Airlift (MAMA) Foundation conducted a total of eight (8) medical evacuations (medevac) from remote Papua New Guinea.

Two urgent medical cases have emerged  highlighting the severe challenges faced by mothers during child-birth and the critical need for blood transfusions.

In Pake Village, on the border of Gulf and Morobe Provinces, an 18-year-old woman delivered a healthy baby boy on February 18th. However, the placenta failed to detach, leading to significant blood loss and hypovolemic shock.

The newborn from Pake Village is alive and well.

A Health Extension Officer assessed the patient, triaging her as a level one emergency. The mother was experiencing fever, chills, and abdominal pain, indicating a potential infection.

With the placenta retained for over 11 hours, the risk of severe postpartum infection was extremely high. An urgent medevac flight was conducted on 19th February. P2-COP, the newest member to our fleet of helicopters picked up the mother, and she was taken to ANGAU Hospital.

Simultaneously, in Gafan Village, Erap, a 15-year-old mother faced a similar life-threatening situation. Having delivered her stillborn on February 19th, she suffered from a retained placenta for over 12 hours. Reports from a Village Health Assistant (VHA) indicated extreme weakness and critical condition. The patient was also triaged as a level one emergency and medevaced to Angau Hospital.

Upon arrival at Angau Hospital, the 15 year old was found to have a severely low hemoglobin level. Manual removal of the placenta was postponed until her blood levels are stabilized. Thankfully, a staff member from Manolos Aviation, immediately donated blood for the 15 year old, which was administered promptly, after quality checks.

The sad scenario is that both mothers require urgent blood transfusions, which can only be administered at hospitals under the supervision of professional health workers.

These cases emphasizes the dire need for accessible healthcare and blood supplies in remote regions of Papua New Guinea. The lack of timely medical intervention and blood transfusions poses a grave threat to the lives of mothers and newborns.

MAMA Foundation is currently undertaking a blood drive in Lae, Kokopo and Port Moresby, for mothers who are evacuated from remote areas. If you would like to support this blood drive, you can contact our medevac team on +67572600007.