Story by: Lobitos Alves
Suffering from severe fever and diarrhoea, baby Raiyan was evacuated by MAF from Suai, on the southwestern cost of Timor-Leste to Dili, the capital on the north coast, where he successfully received intensive care.
Raiyan Lazarus da Costa Pires, a two-month-old newborn boy, was suffering from critical diarrhoea, a condition that required an urgent evacuation from Suai Referral Hospital to receive specialised care at the Guido Valadares National Hospital in Dili.
Little Raiyan was supposed to travel by ambulance, but his condition meant that the long road journey from Suai was not possible – it would have taken up to 8 hours to reach to Dili.
As a result, an MAF medevac was the only alternative, taking only 35 minutes.
Mr Francelino da Costa Barros, baby Raiyan’s father and a local woodworker, described his son’s condition during that difficult time.
“He had a severe pain in his tummy, so we took him for a check-up at Suai Referral Hospital,” said Mr Barros.
“After the check-up, the nurses decided that he should stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to receive special treatment.”
Baby Raiyan stayed at Suai Referral Hospital for four days, but his condition did not improve, so the nurses decided to transfer him to Dili via MAF.
“We came to Dili by an MAF plane,” said Mr Barros. “When we arrived at the national hospital, the nurses brought him into the ICU, where he stayed for three days.
“They then moved him to the Progressive Care Unit, where he stayed for two weeks.”
Mrs Virginia Vicente Pires, baby Raiyan’s mother, expressed her feelings about how her son was saved during his critical time.
“I was deeply saddened when he was in a critical condition, but now I’m very grateful to God. By His power, my son has recovered.
I was deeply saddened.... By His power, my son has recovered.
“I’m very thankful to MAF and their team for helping us fly smoothly from Suai to Dili.”
Raiyan and his family stayed in Dili for almost a month, then returned home, also on an MAF aeroplane.
Mr Barros explained how MAF’s service plays a crucial role in helping the people of Timor-Leste.
Mr Barros explained how MAF’s service plays a crucial role in helping the people of Timor-Leste.
“I’m very proud of MAF’s service, which operates in emergency situations to help and save the lives of the people in Timor-Leste.
“I prefer traveling back with an MAF plane because it takes us on a shorter journey, rather than traveling by bus,” said Mr Barros.
“Traveling back by bus over rough roads could negatively impact my son’s health. Flying with MAF is a safer and quicker option.”
Domingos Falo, an Operations Assistant who has worked with MAF for over five years, explained how it feels to be part of a life-saving mission.
“I’m very proud to be a part of this mission, serving with heart and love to help people in need,” said Mr Falo.
“When we receive a medevac call from the national ambulance service, we are always ready and work to support our pilots in setting everything up, because time matters a lot to us in saving lives.”