Dukana babies require hospitalisation
Two babies from Dukana, in the arid north of Kenya, urgently needed hospital treatment. Baby Barako was just 2 days old, while baby Isako was 10 months. Eddie Anderson of AIM requested MAF’s assistance.
Government clearance
Eddie shared, ‘Both children were in critical condition. Without a flight to a major hospital with a heart unit they would certainly have died within a couple of days. By the grace of God, both babies were approved for travel [government clearance was required] and MAF came directly with a Missionary ER Nurse with oxygen and expertise.’
By road it is a two or three day drive to reach Nairobi - a journey involving a lot of trouble, expense and time. The C206 flight to Kijabe mission hospital took just 2 hour 40 minutes.
Full occupancy
Pilot Daniel Loewen-Rudgers shared, ‘I’ve never had so many people in a 206 before - eight people coming out of Dukana, so we had a full load! But I was still well under max weight just because everyone was so light!’ With the father of the newly born baby seated in the right-hand seat in the cockpit, the baby Barako with his mother and a nurse were seated in the middle row. In the back were a translator and baby Isako with his mother. Upon arrival, they were met by mission doctors at the airstrip and taken directly into care.
A very good hospital
Daniel expressed with satisfaction, ‘We’re bringing them to a very good hospital! They can’t get that kind of care anywhere else, except maybe a private hospital in Nairobi, which they can’t afford. That we could fly them straight to Kijabe during this Covid time, was definitely a miracle for the two ladies. That was really good!’
‘Thank you so much for helping us,’ Eddie states. ‘It was so awesome to have the two missions working together seamlessly as we dealt with patients on the ground.’
Follow-up
A few weeks later, Eddie reported, ‘Little Barako, the newborn, had a successful surgery in Kenyatta National hospital. This was a miracle in itself as he had a heart condition that only one or two doctors in the country know how to fix. By some miracle Kijabe Hospital was able to get him in where usually there is no opening! Barako is the youngest baby to every successfully have that particular heart surgery in Kenya!’
Sadly, baby Isako died. The doctors discovered his heart was infected with tuberculosis, and was pumping infected blood throughout his body.
Eddie concludes, ‘Speaking with the doctors at Kijabe, if these babies had not been medevaced as quickly as they were, they both would have certainly died. Isako within a day or two, and Barako within a week.’ Instead, the flight and excellent care they received gave both babies a fighting chance; their families have received help and compassion in their time of need.
We are grateful that despite Covid-related travel restrictions in Kenya, MAF has permission to fly medical evacuation flights at this time.
