Manalos Aviation is stepping up emergency medical response in Morobe Province with the construction of a health clinic at its Lae helipad facility, aimed at providing immediate care to patients flown in from remote areas.

Commercial and Compliance Manager, Nellie Tumai, said the initiative was driven by the need to save lives through timely medical intervention.

"The aim of the Manalos Aviation Mountain Area Medical Airlift Foundation is to bring patients to the nearest hospital immediately so they can receive medical help that is crucial to their survival," Ms. Tumai said.

The clinic, which is still under construction, will ensure patients receive critical care as soon as they arrive in Lae. "We have had experiences where patients died because they were not treated early or did not receive the special care and attention needed," she said.

Ms. Tumai explained that the decision to build the clinic was a proactive measure by the company to address these gaps. "Manalos Aviation has taken its own initiative to set up this clinic so patients can be attended to immediately upon arrival, before they are transferred to hospitals," she said.

The project has received financial support from Kabwum District, which contributed K100,000 through the MAMA Foundation programme.

Since 2021, the MAMA Foundation programme has benefited more than 200 patients by providing emergency medical airlift services. Ms. Tumai said the initiative highlights the importance of partnerships in improving access to healthcare for people living in remote and hard-to-reach areas.