A baby boy, suffering from fluid on his lungs, was flown to hospital by MAF for urgent treatment and is now doing well.
Eliazer Levi da Silva was just two days old when he needed a life-saving flight with MAF after being born with meconium aspiration syndrome.
The condition, which occurs when the baby breathes meconium and amniotic fluid into the lungs around the time of delivery, required care at Timor-Leste’s only major health facility - the National Hospital of Guido Valadares.
The trip from Suai, in the south-west of the country, to the hospital in the capital Dili would have taken a bumpy drive of four to six hours on a road in poor condition. But a medevac flight, with pilots Joe Farren and Lungpinglak Domtta, brought the young patient to Dili in just 25 minutes.
Eliazer’s father Onorio da Silva thanked MAF for saving his son’s life by responding swiftly.
“I was sad because I thought he might not survive at that time. But I thanked God for helping us through MAF’s service, which enabled us to transfer my son to Dili during our tough situation,” said Mr da Silva.
Eliazer is the third child of Mr da Silva, who works for the Ministry of Agriculture, and his wife Jenia Octaviana, who works for the Ministry of State.
The baby was transferred from Suai on May 31, and stayed in the national hospital for almost a month. When he was discharged from the hospital, Eliazer was flown back to Suai on an MAF plane on June 24 as part of MAF’s Closing the Loop project in Timor-Leste.
Mr da Silva shared what it meant to have their new arrival back home with his two siblings.
“We are very grateful that MAF provided us with extra help to fly us back home. They have really shown us how much they care for the Timorese people,” he said.
They have really shown us how much they care for the Timorese people
“Returning home with the MAF plane is such a good option for us because it can save our time on a trip that usually takes four to six hours, but only takes 25 minutes by MAF’s flights.”
So far in 2024, MAF has flown 23 patients back home to their communities after a stay in hospital.