It was a Monday morning. The MV YWAM PNG had just arrived at Kouderika village, Central Province. The YWAM Medical Ships – Australia (YWAM MSA) primary health care team had arrived ashore and was setting up their mobile clinic for the day in a local church building.
As the team was getting ready to see patients, a cry for help came. A baby had just been delivered and assistance was needed.
YWAM MSA team members, Denise Schranz and Sister Rigalo Mokela, the District Health Coordinator, rushed to the makeshift ‘private’ area in the house where a village birth attendant had helped deliver the baby girl.
The house where the mother gave birth.
Behind the privacy of hanging sheet lay the mother-in-distress on the hard wood floor; she had a prolapsed uterus.
Sister Rigalo, a seasoned Papua New Guinean midwife, was used to situations like this and went straight to work with Denise by her side.
Sister Rigalo and Denise treated the mother in her home behind a sheet.
Sister Rigalo and Denise successfully inserted the uterus back inside the mother’s body. The mother was given antibiotics to fight against any infection – she was on the way to a fast recovery.
“I was grateful we were there at the right time with the necessary supplies; the mother’s condition was quite serious, “ said Sister Rigalo.
A few hours after birth, the mother named her baby Denise after the YWAM MSA team member who gave immunisations to the baby within hours of birth.
Baby Denise
YWAM MSA’s Medical Coordinator, Hannah Peart, said she was grateful to have Sister Rigalo on the team that day.
“I’m constantly amazed at the health workers here; their experience in this setting is just so valuable. Their challenge is getting to the places and having enough supplies; this is where we can help,” said Ms Peart.
Sister Rigalo and her colleague, Gairo Kapana, Central Provincial Technical Officer for HIV AIDS, worked alongside the YWAM MSA team for five days in ten villages in the Central and Milne Bay Provinces.
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