Beaten Up And Left For Dead
- Apr 16
- 3 min read
On October 31, at 06:45 in the morning, I was sitting comfortably at our dining table eating my breakfast, when I received a call that would change the entire day. The team from the Hospital in Mandritsara asked if we could to a Medevac flight to the far north-east of Madagascar, because a man had been severely injured by bandits and time was of the essence.
One of our two helicopters was already on a mission, and I had planned to do maintenance work the other day. After brief consideration, I told them that we would try to carry out the flight. The distance was roughly that of a flight from Bern to Paris and back (the equivalent of approximately 490 km or 305 miles which is New York City – Pittsburgh). We are the only organization in all of Madagascar that can do such Medevac flights to remote areas. There was no time to lose as the wounded man was in a critical condition. Without the helicopter transport, I knew that the man would probably not survive. Next, I called the team in the hangar to get the helicopter ready while I carried out the flight preparations. After the helicopter was refueled and equipped for the rescue flight, I obtained the flight permits needed from the authorities. With the necessary paperwork in hand, I set off on the nearly two-hour flight to Mandritsara. A doctor was already waiting at the hospital to accompany me on the additional half-hour flight northeast. We landed in the remote village shortly after noon.
When we saw the wounded man, it was quite clear to us that the situation was urgent. He was placed on a bed where the doctor treated him and prepared him for the flight to the hospital. Half an hour later we were in the air, heading straight for Mandritsara where the patient was handed over to the hospital team. My work was done, so I was able to begin the return flight to the capital, where I landed shortly before sunset. I know the Swiss surgeon who was treating him very well, so I knew the patient was in excellent hands. However, the news I received in the evening surprised me. The attending doctor summarized the findings as follows: a collapsed lung and injury of the pleura, a severed 10th rib, a hole in the colon, a hole in the spleen, a hole in the pancreas, and several superficial wounds. According to the doctor, the injured man would have died if he had not been taken to the hospital by helicopter.
Two weeks later, when I landed at the mission hospital on my next assignment, the man ran towards me. I was delighted to see how well he was doing. He told me his story: His name is Joseph and he is the father of four children. At the end of the month, he was paid his monthly wage (roughly equivalent to 50 Swiss francs or around 60 USD). On his way home he had been attacked by three bandits (one or two of whom were his work colleagues) and so badly injured that he lost consciousness. The bandits probably assumed that he would not survive the attack.
Joseph showed me some of his wounds and thanked me profusely, which was very touching. The team at the hospital in Mandritsara had done an excellent job. Joseph received the best treatment and was discharged from the hospital on the weekend. Since I had to pick up a team from the region where Joseph lives on the last day of the week, I was able to offer Joseph and his wife a helicopter flight. That way, they only had to walk a short distance. They gratefully accepted the offer.
He really enjoyed his second helicopter flight. He told me that he was returning with mixed feelings, because he did not know what to expect when he returned to his village. But it was his home, and he was happy to be able to see his children again. He also told me that he had placed everything in God’s hands. He trusted that God had good plans for his return to the village. Wow, what a testimony! I was very pleased to hear that this story had had a happy ending and the cooperation with the hospital in Mandritsara had worked out so well. I would also like to express my great thanks to you as supporters of Helimission. It is only thanks to you that we can make such flights so that people in urgent need can receive help.
Nick, Pilot
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