RFDS equivalent in PNG?

[Roger Scramjet]

Anyone know if such a thing exists?

[Lasiorhinus]

I think the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels were the closest ...:ok:

[tinpis]

It was tried
But there were problems getting patients bristling with spears and arrows sticking out of them through the doors of a cabin twin
Night medievacs could be fun as well :rolleyes:

[glideslope]

MAF operate many 'RFDS' type flights in PNG week after week and have done so for over 60 years. They operate 206s,T206s, Twotters, GA 8 Airvans and soon T GA 8s and Caravans. Also in the future will be Kodiaks.
The MAF International group world wide operate around 140 aircraft to almost 3000 destinations.
It's the largest of its type on the planet.

[neville_nobody]

Not really MAF charter their aircraft. You (or your medical insurance) still have to pay. Just like the RFDS I suppose!!:E

[troppo]

AEA International aka International SOS.
Google it.

10 years ago there was a Navajo Air Ambulance with South West Air from Mendi

[Pinky the pilot]

Many moons ago it was just about any company operating there!!:uhoh:

Well, the evacuations were 'authorised' by the now infamous ILPOC.:eek::ugh:

My then Boss Richard Rowe (RIP:{) told me on my very first day with him that I was not under any circumstances to accept one of those!! Cash waved under my nose only!!

Sad really, as I wonder how many people died, who might have lived if we could have got them out of the village and into Hospital in Moresby. But then again, that place was'nt much better.:(:sad:

[Waghi Warrior]

South West Air was only involved in the maintenance of the aircraft. It was operated by Fred Martins,who is probley behind bars somewhere now. He had some spiv deal going with the Western Provencial Government. Fred also had a Bell 47 that was in a million bits hangared at the back of the old Cape York Air hangar in Cairns at the time as well.

[Roger Scramjet]

Thanks guys for your replies thus far. Having only visited a few parts of png it is a shame that such an amazing place is exploited to the point where its people don't get top class medical services - especially after having done contract clinic work for the RFDS here and seeing first hand how many ungrateful w&nkers take this FREE service for granted.
Surely our nearest neighbour deserves same:confused:

[Waghi Warrior]

The sad thing is more people are carried around PNG on aircraft in caskets than being sick or injured. Even the health services in the major centres are VERY lacking. Some hospitals are packed to the walls with patients suffering from the big sick "AIDS". There are a couple of private hospitals in Port Moresby that aren't to bad, although the consultation fees are out of the budget of the average Papua New Guinean. People do suffer especially when they can't even get basic medication in PNG.

[Bush Boss]

We used to do quite a lot of medivacs when I was in PNG with North Coast. Generally in BN2's back to Nadzab. The medivacs were paid for by local governemnt I believe, but unfortunately they were often left very late, to the point where within the week I was doing a coffin charter back to the village. The 'ambulance' was meant to be at Nadzab on our arrival to take the patient to the hospital in Lae, but often was late or didnt even turn up. (I put 'ambulance' in inverted commas because it was just just an enclosed Land Cruiser with a stretcher in the back). Once I flew a very ill woman from Tawa to Nadzab and no ambulance showed. Got back from next flight a couple of hours later to find woman still there! The boss (GT) ended up taking her into Lae on the back of his ute. I saw the 'ambulance' in Lae shortly afterwards parked up in town with the driver and his wantoks drinking SP in the back! :ugh:

[poteroo]

Right about leaving the evac too late. Had one patient with the real deal - gas gangrene - in his multiple broken leg.....left LH window open at 80 kts and dry retched all the way to Wedau AM Hospital. Met by the Matron - who casually said...Oooooh, we haven't had one of these for a long time, how interesting! Meanwhile pilot is on knees still dry retching.

Memorable flying - but for all the wrong reasons!

[ZEEBEE]

Yes, apart from the few "private clinics" in operation, the only real medivac is OUT OF THE COUNTRY.

I think I'd rather die in the bush than be taken to one of the "main" hospitals.

Apart from having no budget for medication or food, they're full of sick people with no infectious spread prevention.

The staff do their best...but the money is allocated to more important things like trips to the US for the pollies.

[Captain Nomad]

One RFDS Aircraft is better equipped than most PNG hospitals...

It is mainly the mission operators now that provide some services to help bush clinics and as previously mentioned, medivac flights for locals. I saw some interesting cases as would anyone who has flown up there. Some of the stories break your heart. Communication is the other key problem that goes hand-in-hand as even getting word out that someone needs evacuating can be very challenging and often impossible. Other times it is hard work figuring the truth from the 'gammon' attempt to scam a free or discounted ride... 'try em tasol' is a regular tactic used by many and tries the patience of the pilots...

The fact that even the biggest of organisations up there (that have their own expat health professionals) fly their people OUT OF THE COUNTRY for anything more than a cough or a sore finger should give you a bit of an idea of the PNG health system these days!

[Bush Boss]

Shortly after getting to PNG I was told by an old hand, 'if you are not dead by the time you get to a PNG hospital you soon will be'. He went on to recount a story of an expat who had a car accident on the Lae-Nadzab road, he was taken to Lae Hospital and diagnosed with a punctured lung, they stuck a needle in him to drain his lung but ended up draining the blood out of somewhere else...all his blood!

[ZEEBEE]

One RFDS Aircraft is better equipped than most PNG hospitals...

Captain....I might have been inclined to say "ALL COMBINED" as opposed to "most".

Very sad really....most of the people deserve better.:{

[Bush Boss]

I remember getting a hell of a fright on my first coffin charter, approaching the strip all the pax suddenly started wailing and screaming, no one had told me this was normal! Then I got another fright as I approached the parking bay and the villagers started rushing toward my BN2 with props turning! After that I learnt to cut the engines approaching the parking bay and 'coast' in!
A mate who flew for South West out of Mendi recalls a story of one of their pilots who got quite spoked whenever flying coffin charters. The other pilots came up with an elaborate hoax that involved one of the pilots pretending to be a corpse and then suddenly 'coming alive' mid flight! Poor guy screamed and apparently went as white as a sheet! Who needs enemies when you have got mates!:D

[sundaun]

Nice thought Roger, but the culture and geography would make it cost prohibitive. I have had inebriated males wanting to displace stretchered females (retained placentas/septicemia mostly) as FOC pax on return legs. Health SSB HF radios used for gammin complaints to procure a diversion to the provincial centre. Pain is accepted silently, death is part of everyday life, The system has shortcomings in QLD, imagine one in PNG

[an3_bolt]

If you have private insurance or wealthy you have access to private medivac services.

The medivacs used to clear customs in PNG and head for generally Cairns / Townsville.

Not many aircraft were able/suitable to conduct the medivacs due the frequency of night flying, ability to hold a sea level cabin over the hills, enough range to make it down to Townsville (with a SL cabin pressure) and hold all the medivac gear whilst still having the field performance for places such as Moro, Hoskins, Lihir, Mendi etc.

Sometimes rewarding - sometimes morbidly depressing. Anything from car crashes, rape, decompression sickness, cerebral malaria, burst appendix - you name it - it all happens in PNG.

I have seen enough blood and guts with people dying/dead for my lifetime courtesy of PNG.