Cyclone Pam: Baby born in storm goes home as volunteers pitch in

Reporter·NZ Herald·

17 Mar, 2015 04:00 PM3 mins to read

A young boy carries a ball through the ruins of the family home as his father picks through the debris. Photo / AP

A wail comes up from the yellow-painted concrete block on the lawn near the children's ward at Vanuatu Central hospital, Port Vila.

"That's where people go when someone dies," says health worker Nikita Taiwia. "So there's going to be a lot more of that."

The hospital is packed. Families, most with babies, crowd outside the waiting area. The maternity ward is full. The temporary children's ward is also full. Patients were moved from the children's ward in the middle of the night during the cyclone, as the winds grew stronger. They were sent out into the new theatre area, the windows shut, with no lights.

"It was so stuffy. I was so hot. But also so scared," says Loreen Iamul. "I was just so worried."

Ms Iamul's 4-month-old baby is on oxygen, with a suspected heart condition. During the storm, they had to move the bottles as the wind got up. Two other babies were also on oxygen . Now the children are crammed into the nurse training area, with family sleeping on the floor as they hope for the children to recover.

Ms Taiwia, who lives in Vanuatu, is desperately trying to get blood donations. Yesterday they had 10, today five, the minimum is 20.

"We always need blood,"she said. "There is always a medical emergency in Vanuatu. We are in a humanitarian situation every day. The cyclone just makes it a whole lot worse."

Parts of the hospital are badly damaged. New Zealand volunteers have been helping to clean up. Now, however, most Kiwis have left and it's the Australians doing the hard work. Aid workers did a sweep of the hospital yesterday morning to find tourists willing to lend a hand.

Australian Maureen Eaton said she and her husband decided to pitch in. Volunteers are sweeping and mopping, picking up broken glass and helping get the wards ready again, to ease the pressure.

Kiwi anaesthetist Tony Diprose got into Vanuatu on Saturday and made straight for the hospital.

"I had to," he said. "These are my friends and the people that I love."

Dr Diprose lived in Vanuatu, speaks Bislama and had lived in the island nation previously. He arrived with the New Zealand medical assistance team and has had about one hour's sleep since arriving.

"Obviously the hospital is doing amazing work," he said. "It's been very difficult without communications. Anything outside of Port Vila is almost non-existent."

Dr Diprose said the next challenge would be dealing with whatever medical situations arose on the outer islands. Infectious diseases from overcrowded areas were a concern.

Doctors at the hospital performed an emergency caesarean in the middle of the cyclone - and delivered a baby they named Pamela. The fetus was showing signs of distress as winds began to bear down. Fearing it was too windy to take a trolley outside, doctors got the mother to walk through the howling gale to the new theatre unit where they immediately operated.

Annette Gorae and Magaret Lehi, who delivered baby Pamela during the cyclone. Photo / Kirsty Johnston

Registrar Margaret Lehi said they decided there was only one thing the mother could name the child. "We said she has to be called Pamela."

The operation went well, but the mother had to stay in the theatre building overnight as it was too dangerous to walk back to the maternity ward. She is now at home with her baby.