As an unprecedented virus disrupts the planet, MAF’s planes and people are helping to prevent the spread of coronavirus in some of the world’s poorest places.
Implementing every precaution possible to protect its personnel and the isolated areas MAF serves, the organisation has been quick to offer support wherever possible.
Liberia
On 28 March, MAF pilot Steven Biggs responded to a request from Liberia’s Ministry of Health. ‘We flew a medical team to Zwedru to test a suspected case,’ he explains. ‘A coronavirus diagnosis in remote Liberia could be devastating because there are very few health facilities here.
‘An hour later, I was preparing the aircraft and, another hour after that, we were there. If it wasn’t for our flight, the medical team would have had a 20-hour journey on terrible roads, then back again – with time wasted and many more potential infections. God has placed MAF here for just such a reason, and I feel so privileged to be here.’
Fortunately, the test proved negative.
South Sudan
In South Sudan, President Salva Kiir Mayardit thanked MAF in his address to the nation for the charity’s support so far. The World Health Organisation and South Sudan’s Ministry of Health had asked for test kits to be flown to Wau, a two-hour flight from Juba. MAF pilot Wim Hobo later commented: ‘We are very happy to keep flying in South Sudan, and that we can support the people in this way.’
According to Juba-based MAF Communications Officer Jenny Davies, South Sudan feels like it’s on the edge of a precipice. ‘Washing hands with soap,’ she notes, ‘seems such an unlikely weapon in a country where crises are usually fought with guns.’
Henk-Jan Muusse, MAF’s Regional Director for Africa, is responsible for seeing how the charity can best support African governments during the crisis. Mindful of God’s sovereignty, Muusse said: ‘We have the opportunity to pray for those who are struggling more than us. He is the one we cling to and who gives us hope.’
Madagascar
MAF flights continue to carry vital supplies, with pilots Ryan Unger and Ian Purdey dropping off coronavirus test kits at a hospital in Madagascar. They flew to Tulear, distributed the kits, collected some samples, then flew back to Antananarivo, where the country’s only test centre is located.
Australia
In Australia, MAF personnel Phil Snell and Ben Sibthrope produced a special shield for Mareeba Hospital, designed to lessen the chances of infection. A transparent prototype was built in a day, then tested by hospital staff. Later, with various changes maximising the shield’s effectiveness, ‘Mark Two’ was accepted by Mareeba Hospital’s medical staff, and a request made to produce more.
At the time of writing, few coronavirus cases have been reported in Papua New Guinea, but MAF remains ready – its fleet of nine Cessna 208 light aircraft on standby to support Area Health Patrols by transporting Personal Protection Equipment as soon as it is needed. During such global uncertainty, MAF is grateful to play its part in bringing an end to the pandemic.
