MAF flies Mercy Ships patients from Maroantsetra to the hospital ship Africa Mercy in Toamasina, turning journeys that once took days into a one-hour flight. For children needing surgery and elderly patients hoping to see again, the flights are opening access to specialised healthcare that would otherwise remain out of reach.
A one-hour flight is changing what healthcare looks like for families in northeastern Madagascar.
MAF is flying Mercy Ships patients directly from Maroantsetra to Toamasina, where the hospital ship Africa Mercy is docked and will be providing free of charge specialised
surgeries to selected patients from all over the country.
For many patients, what now takes just over an hour by air would otherwise require days of travel by boat and rough roads, difficult for patients and those with children.
Among the first passengers were twin boys Juvaniot and Juvanot, travelling with their mother, Zara.
The family lives in the remote village of Antaravato. To reach the airport in Maroantsetra, they left home the day before the flight. First came a three-hour walk, followed by another four hours by motorbike on rough roads.
The twins need orthopaedic surgery as they were born with bow legs, a condition that causes their legs to curve outward and makes walking increasingly difficult over time. Although they are still able to freely move around, without orthopaedic surgery the condition could lead to chronic pain, joint damage, and long-term mobility problems later in life.
“There is no doctor who can do this surgery for my children in Maroantsetra,” Zara explained. “Without this opportunity, I do not know how they could receive treatment.”
Without this opportunity, I do not know how they could receive treatment.
All parents want the best for their children and want there to be no limit in ability or opportunity for their child. Yollandy’s feelings were no different, and for her this is an opportunity to give the best for her boys and keep them safe from discrimination.
“I want them to grow up well and be able to play and live like other children,” she said quietly.
For children like Juvaniot and Juvanot, early treatment can change the course of their future. Conditions that become much more difficult in adulthood can often be effectively treated during childhood – if care is reached in time.
The flight was also quite personal for Lydia Muller from the Mercy Ships communications team.
“I have a twin sister, so these boys really touched me,” she said. “They are adorable.”
Just about two weeks after their arrival, the boys underwent surgery aboard the Africa Mercy. The procedures were successful, and all went well. They are now recovering and continuing their rehabilitation journey, and in a few months, they will be able to return to their village, transformed.
I have a twin sister, so these boys really touched me
But not every patient flown on board MAF aeroplanes this week was a small child needing orthopaedic surgery.
Several elderly passengers were travelling for eye surgery after losing much of their eyesight. Some could no longer move around without assistance.
One of them was Langerie, an elderly lady who travelled with her granddaughter Jenny.
“Before, my grandmother could do everything by herself,” Jenny said. “Now, someone always must guide her because she cannot see anymore. We are praying this surgery will help her regain her sight.”
She received specialist care; underwent surgery that transformed her sight and was flown back by MAF after few weeks in Toamasina.
She received specialist care; underwent surgery that transformed her sight and was flown back by MAF after few weeks in Toamasina.
Reflecting on the outcome, Ashleigh Wong the Ophthalmic Team Manager said "her vision has improved significantly from only being able to see hand movements to now reading halfway down the chart to 6/12! That is the minimum vision requirement for people to be able to drive in Australia.”
For years, MAF and Mercy Ships have partnered together in Madagascar, flying medical teams into isolated communities to identify patients needing specialised treatment aboard the Africa Mercy.
Her vision has improved significantly
The partnership has continued to grow since 2023.
“By the end of this year, MAF will probably reach over 400 hours flying for Mercy Ships,” said Wouter Nagel, Flight Operations Manager in Madagascar. “It sounds like a lot of hours but if you translate that into how many hours we have saved them travelling by road, we are not talking hours, we are talking months; many months they should have driven by road.”
The people flown were children hoping to walk more freely. Older people hoping to see again. Families carrying burdens that had felt impossible to overcome.
And for many of them, hope arrived in just one hour.