Closing the Loop is a new initiative in MAF Timor Leste to provide more help for medevac patients, than just a flight out to medical care.
Country Director of Timor-Leste Nick Hitchins explained why MAF implemented this new project.
“Closing the Loop is about taking care of people from the time that we pick them up in the districts when they’re sick, until the time that we take them home again when they’re well,” Nick said.
“This project is designed to extend our care of those people by visiting them in hospital, providing them with additional items, extra to the care pack that we give them, trying to work with them to ensure that they get the best care they can while they’re in hospital. And then when it’s time to come home to be able to give them access to a reliable way of getting home.”
Juliana Bati was the first medevac patient to benefit from this new project. Her foot was amputated due to diabetes, and MAF helped fly her back home to Oecussi, in the western part of the nation after her treatment. She shared a message of gratitude to MAF for helping her. “I'd like to thank MAF for coming to my aid when I was in a difficult situation, transporting me from Oecussi to Dili and returning me from Dili to Oecussi. Once again, thank you very much." Jaime Ellu, the son of Juliana Bati also shared what MAF’s programme to bring medevac patients back to their hometowns meant to him. “We are very excited about MAF’s programme that flies back their medevac patients to their hometown. We are very grateful to MAF because this programme really helps the people of Timor-Leste, and we hope MAF can save people’s lives in this beloved country.”
Nick said MAF supporters should know they are making a difference in the lives of isolated people and supporting them to return to the comfort of their own homes and communities after a spell in hospital. “For me, there is nothing more worthwhile than being able to meet somebody at a point of need when they have no other options. When a donor gives to the Closing the Loop project, they are absolutely having a dramatic input into the quality of life of a person in Timor-Leste, both facilitating their initial medevac, but also speaking Christ's love into their heart by the visits that we give them, and also demonstrating that we really do care for them and that we want to get them back home again in the safest possible way. We certainly hope that donors will appreciate that this is a very practical way of demonstrating and showing the love of Jesus to people who really need it.”