Rescue Team Save Woman

Balevuto Health Centre labourer and maintenance worker Jonacani Vutoro Yabaki was part of a res­cue team that helped transport a 62-year-old wom­an Elina Rokovono from Toge Village across the Ba River to the Nacaci Primary School where police and other first responders waited on February 6.

The rescue team included 12 males from Toge village and a 19-year-old woman.

Mr Yabaki said he was bathing at a small stream near Toge on Sunday when Ms Rokovono’s son called him as she was crying due to strong pain in her stomach.

“The pain from her stomach was too strong so her son pleaded with me in the Ba dialect for his mother to be taken to the hospital to get assistance. The bad weather conditions brought about a daring spirit within me that motivated me to treat this person,” he said.

He said he called a doctor at the Ba Mission Hospital who said that his team would wait at the Nacaci School on the other side of the Ba river.

“I told the village headman and village nurse if some young men could assist in taking the sickly woman across the Ba river to where the school was. Even though the river was flooded, we were determined to take this sickly wom­an across,” he said.

He said rubber tubes were tied together with a rope and some young men held onto the ropes to try and transport Ms Rokovono across the river to the other side

“I want to thank the rescue team for their hearts of com­passion and the teamwork and there was a 19-year-old woman who was part of the team,” he said.

He said Ms Rokovono was now at the Ba Mission Hospital receiving medical attention.