Elderly church leader dies during ELCPNG Synod on Siassi Island

The body was carried out and was being loaded onto the helicopter by the ELCPNG’s medical team with the assistance of the MAMA Medevac team (NBC News)

An elderly man died while attending the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Papua New Guinea’s [ELCPNG] 35th Synod on Siassi Island in the Tewai-Siassi District of Morobe Province on Wednesday, the 21st of January.

Despite efforts by the ELCPNG’s top medical team, the man died halfway through the week-long synod due to pre-existing health conditions that had already progressed to a chronic stage before his arrival.

According to the church’s Secretary, Bernard Kaisom, the deceased was the president of the Biala Circuit in West New Britain Province. He was airlifted the same day by Manolos Aviation’s MAMA Medevac team from Bunsil Station to Lae City.

“He attended the synod with some of his relatives, but his son escorted his body when it was medivacked to Lae and will remain at the funeral home until the synod ends and further arrangements are made for repatriation back to their home province."

“With that, I am now making a call on behalf of the church to all our parishioners to refrain from attending the synod if you are sick,” Kaisom said.

Dr Kovei Umba, one of three doctors on site with their medical specialists said, the elderly man tested positive for malaria and further clinical bedside examinations revealed pneumonia at a chronic stage, with fluid clogging his right lung.

“The patient came in on the 19th, and we carried out further bedside assessments, which confirmed pneumonia affecting his right lung, with fluid build-up hence the shortness of breath he was experiencing."

“The third time we were called to attend to him, we found him without a heartbeat and not breathing. The full team conducted a full active resuscitation for over an hour, well beyond the usual 20 to 30 minutes, but he had to be pronounced dead when he was brain-dead.”

Mr Kaisom confirmed that this was not the first time a death had occurred during one of the church’s synods and reiterated the call for parishioners to undergo medical check-ups and refrain from attending future synods if they are unwell.