‘I was a dead man, but you saved my life’ – MAF medevacs John in PNG

John was left for dead with serious knife wounds (credit: Andrew Yalbai)

In February, John was walking home in Simbu Province in PNG’s Highlands, when a gang violently robbed him at knifepoint. Left for dead, with his cries drowned out by the nearby Waghi River, it was a while before he was found and MAF was alerted. MAF’s speedy medevac saved his life – without it, he would have bled to death.

Two months ago, John was medevacked by MAF to Kundiawa General Hospital in Papua New Guinea’s Simbu Province – a huge factor in saving his life.

Today, John continues to recover slowly at home from a vicious knife attack that nearly killed him, but his psychological scars may never heal.

In the early hours of one Friday morning, he was walking home to Habai Village using the well-trod Nourei – Nomane bush track.

He was carrying three bags of flour (a total of 25kg) and eight litres of oil, which he planned to sell to pay for his two sons’ school fees.

Left for dead

He was ambushed by a local gang carrying bush knives. Not wishing to put up a fight, he handed over his precious load, money and mobile phone, thinking they would spare his life.

He was wrong.

Dissatisfied with their plunder, the gang proceeded to mercilessly attack John and struck him several times on his head, left jaw, neck and shoulders. He fell to the ground.

Defenceless, he began to bleed heavily and slipped into unconsciousness. They left him for dead.

Miraculously, John regained consciousness and began to call for help, but the nearby raging Waghi River nearly drowned out his cries.

A local pastor passing by, eventually heard John and stopped to help. Shocked by John’s blood-soaked clothes, he made s number of calls from his mobile phone including to Nomane Health Centre.

Staff from the centre made their way down with a stretcher and drip to sustain him. In the absence of roads, they carried him back to the health centre, which was not advanced enough to give John the urgent medical treatment he so desperately needed.

John continued to bleed profusely, but time was not on his side. Stuck in the middle of the bush, it would take many hours to reach the nearest hospital, so how would he get there as quickly as possible?

MAF!

MAF to the rescue

MAF pilot Glenys Watson medevacked John to hospital (credit: Annelie Edsmyr)

On 9 February, 30 minutes after a call to MAF’s base in Goroka, pilot Glenys Watson came to the rescue and landed at the nearby Nomane Airstrip.

Glenys medevacked John to hospital.

The MAF plane containing the poorly patient and his friend, landed at Kundiawa Airport at 2.30pm. An ambulance met them on arrival and drove them straight to Kundiawa General Hospital.

At Kundiawa A&E, John got his stab wounds treated (credit: Andrew Yalbai)

At Accident and Emergency, John’s gaping wounds were finally cleaned, stitched up and bandaged. He received much-needed medication and pain relief, but sadly not a bed.

Due to a bed shortage, John was forced to sleep on the foyer floor in the Outpatients Department. Faced with nearly losing his life earlier, John was simply glad to be alive and just bedded down for the night.

With such seriously deep wounds, left untreated, John would have surely bled to death in the bush.

Now he is expected to make a full recovery.

‘Thank you MAF for saving my life.’

John, MAF medevac patient

Without MAF’s swift flight, John would have bled to death (credit: Mandy Glass)

Since the 2022 elections, tensions have been brewing across PNG linked to widespread unemployment and the high cost of living. This has been compounded by a national fuel shortage.

In recent months, riots have broken out in major cities and towns including Simbu’s provincial capital Kundiawa in the Highlands. In February, Enga Province – also in the Highlands – saw an escalation of violence, which left dozens of people dead.