Hitchins N1, Brown B2, Domtta L3, Sant D4
1Mission Aviation Fellowship International, 2Mission Aviation Fellowship Arnhem Land, 3Mission Aviation Fellowship Timor-Leste, 4Mission Aviation Fellowship Papua New Guinea
Biography:
Nick Hitchins is a global executive with an extensive background in key leadership, communication, and management roles. He enjoys leading projects across a range of international settings, including both developed and developing contexts. Most recently, his work has focussed on the challenges of delivering humanitarian relief in a culturally appropriate and empowering manner. His recent roles include serving as a Pilot and Country Director for MAF Timor-Leste, an executive in strategic development and business innovation for MAF, and his current position as Regional Director for MAF Programmes in Asia Pacific.
Abstract
Aims:
This presentation outlines the unique humanitarian aeromedical retrieval (AR) model provided by Mission Aviation Fellowship International (MAF) for remote and marginalised populations in Asia-Pacific since 1951. Not much is known outside the organisation about this critical lifeline for thousands of geographically isolated patients.
Methods:
An overview of MAF’s adaptive AR service delivery model will be presented within the context of significant and persisting logistical, geographical, and operational constraints.
Results:
As the world’s largest humanitarian airline, MAF has been providing a charitably-funded AR service in collaboration with national governments since Asia-Pacific operations began in 1951 in Papua New Guinea. Using Cessna 208 and GA8 aircraft, MAF has been the sole AR provider for thousands of patients across the region. In Arnhem Land, MAF has delivered continuous AR services for 56 years, covering over 50 remote airstrips. In Timor-Leste, it has been the only AR option for 20 years, serving eight airstrips. In Papua New Guinea, patients continue to be transferred from over 270 airstrips. This model demonstrates that partnership-based ARs are feasible and essential in low-resource settings.
Conclusions:
At a time of declining international aid and strained health systems, MAF’s example proves that humanitarian–government partnerships can effectively strengthen access to emergency medical services and improve health equity through ARs in low resource settings. The MAF humanitarian AR model offers a practical, low-resource example of sustained impact for the most isolated across Asia-Pacific.