Author: Lobitos Alves
Little Geovanio, who suffers from acute brain issues, has successfully recovered after being transferred to Timor-Leste’s national hospital by MAF medevac.
Geovanio dos Santos, a one-year-old boy from Suai on the southern coast of Timor-Leste, had hydrocephalus, a condition in which his brain accumulated fluid, causing a serious health threat.
In the middle of the night, he suddenly started crying and vomiting, so his parents immediately took him to the local referral hospital for a medical assessment.
Geovanio’s father, Henricos Mandela, a police officer in Suai and a woodworker, described the difficulty of accessing special care in their isolated community.
“We took him to the referral hospital in Suai for medical observation, where the doctors identified fluid in his head,” said Mr Mandela.
“Unfortunately, he could not continue his treatment in Suai because there were no paediatrician specialists, which required special care at the national hospital in Dili, the capital on the northern coast.”
A 35-minute MAF flight from Suai to Dili enabled Geovanio to receive emergency treatment at the national hospital, avoiding a 6 to 8 hour ambulance ride due to poor road conditions that could have made his condition worse.
“MAF’s planes really helped us a lot in this critical moment, as they were the only option to save my son’s life,” said Mr Mandela.
“If he had travelled by ambulance at that time, he might have lost his life because his condition was grave.”
Geovanio’s mother, Meliana Ribeiro, who has five children, explained how she felt when her son was flown with MAF to receive treatment at the National Hospital of Guido Valadares (HNGV).
“When I saw the MAF plane arrive at Suai Airport, I was happy because I had hope that it would save his life,” said Mrs Ribeiro.
“I was crying at that time because he was in a critical condition, and if there were no MAF aeroplanes, he would have lost his life. MAF aircraft really saved his life!”
...if there were no MAF aeroplanes, he would have lost his life. MAF aircraft really saved his life!
When Geovanio arrived at the hospital in Dili, he was sent straight to the Intensive Care Unit for babies.
Simeão Ximenes, heard about his nephew’s condition when they flew from Suai to Dili.
“I was in the emergency room at HNGV earlier, before they arrived. When he entered the ICU, we just prayed and surrendered everything to God,” said Mr Ximenes.
“He could have lost his life if he had not flown with MAF planes because he was unable to travel by ambulance at that time.”
Mr Mandela explained a care pack delivered by the MAF team provided valuable support during their spell in hospital.
“We received a bag containing essential supplies when we arrived at Dili Airport. This bag included food, drinking water, some clothes, and a phone voucher to contact our family,” he said.
“These supplies really meant a lot to us because we did not bring enough of our own during this critical moment.”
When the boy was well enough to be discharged from the hospital, they stayed in Dili for two more weeks at his uncle’s house for follow-up medical treatment at HNGV.
Geovanio has now returned home on MAF’s aeroplane.
“We are happy that he has fully recovered and returned home to be reunited with his siblings,” said Mr Mandela.
“We are thankful to MAF not only for flying us for the medevac but also for bringing us back home, which really meant a lot to us.”
Joe Farren, MAF pilot, said the team was encouraged to see the boy recover.
“It’s such a blessing from the Lord that He gives us the opportunity to be involved in people’s lives,” he said.
“It was great that we got to be so critically involved in a patient’s journey to health and recovery.”