Barrick medivacs young mother

AN urgent medivac of a young Sepik mother by Barrick saved her life from child birth complications in a remote  area of East Sepik Province.

Nancy James delivered her third child on the night of December 2, however, the afterbirth was in tact causing her to bleed excessively.

Realising the danger Mrs James faced at Kaiam village, her partner James Tasaput Penale and family members sought help from a mission establishment to contact the nearest hospital.

Barrick’s community relations department responded swiftly to a request by the Lutheran Mission Centre at Mambisanda in Wapenamanda, Enga Province, where the call for help was received.

"It was the humanitarian thing to do. We could not let a mother die out there. It was a life threatening situation and we had to help," Barrick community relations and engagement manager Timothy Andambo said.

On December 3, a Hevilift-owned Bell212 helicopter on hire by the giant Porgera Gold Mine, departed Porgera on the one-hour trip to Kaiam village with a Barrick medical officer onboard.

Mrs James and her partner were airlifted to the Paiam Hospital where she underwent a successful operation.

Mr Penale, who is a councillor, thanked Barrick for the medivac that saved his wife’s life.

"We live in isolation where there are no roads and the nearest government station is far away. When we have severe medical situations it is very difficult for us to get any medical help quickly," he said after his arrival at Paiam Hospital.

Mr Andambo had also visited the couple at the hospital. Barrick (Niugini) Limited is the manager of the Porgera Joint Venture that operates the Porgera Gold Mine in Enga Province, where 92 per cent of the workforce are Papua New Guineans.