Tension – High Tech In The Midst Of Poverty
In July, we flew a mission to the Hospital HVMM (Hopitaly Vaovao Mahafaly in Mandritsara = Good News Hospital). We arrived in Mandritsara from our base in the capital of Antananarivo after a flight of 100 minutes. The hospital is located in the middle of nowhere. Nevertheless, highly qualified doctors from all over the world volunteer here, sacrificing part of their careers to do so.
Twenty-five years ago, the ‘Good News Hospital’ was founded in a house with six small rooms in the center of Mandritsara. Over the years, this ministry has grown in a miraculous way. Today, the hospital has an ambulance (2000 patients/month), a ward with 57 beds, operating rooms that perform 1,400 surgeries a year (the only one within a 200km radius -124 miles), an eye clinic that performs 450 cataract operations a year, a laboratory, an X-ray department, a pharmacy and a training program for surgeons.
In addition, up to six teams regularly drive to areas surrounding Mandritsara to educate the population about health issues and to administer vaccinations. They travel in all kinds of weather, on foot, by bicycle, motorcycle, SUV, and six times a year, by helicopter with Helimission. Most of the population in this region lives in villages that cannot be reached by road. Many must trek through rough terrain for up to four days to reach the hospital.
This mission provided an opportunity for me to bring my family along. This gave us a welcome change from our daily routine in the capital. We enjoyed good fellowship and various activities at the hospital’s guest house. Our children made new friends with the doctors’ children.
Thanks very much for your support which make these flights possible!
Ernst, Pilot
The Hospital with the village of Madritsara in the background Landing at the hospital Transporting a patient Entrance to the hospital National and international doctors Inside the hospital Operating room Transporting a patient Typical landscape during the flight Refueling Medical team inside the heli Teamwork: pushing the heli to the hangar
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