Born into crisis: The 17-hour phone call that saved Madang’s miracle twins
A mother and her newborn twin girls are fighting for recovery at Madang Provincial Hospital, following a harrowing 17-hour birth ordeal in the remote Almami village that was only resolved through a desperate mobile phone connection and a private helicopter extraction.
The mother, Natalie, remains under close observation and requires urgent blood transfusions after losing a life-threatening amount of blood in the deep interior of Bogia District. Her twins, born nearly a day apart, are currently being stabilized in the hospital nursery.
The survival of the trio is being hailed as a feat of MacGyvered medicine. Natalie’s first twin was born at 1:00pm on January 20, 2026. However, the second twin remained trapped in a dangerous breech position.
With the local health facility in Ward 18 unable to cope, help came from a voice on a mobile phone. A retired health worker located miles away in the Raikos District, who is a member of the volunteer Madang Rapid Response Network, stayed on the line to supervise the breech delivery. At 6:00am the following morning, 17 hours after her sister, the second twin finally arrived.
Despite the successful delivery, the situation turned critical as Natalie continued to bleed and the infants were unable to feed. With roads impassable and district health centers badly rundown, the Madang Provincial Health Authority [PHA] was forced to call in a Heli Niugini helicopter for an emergency extraction.
"We are continuing to pay for medical evacuations because our rural health systems are not working well," chief executive officer of the Madang PHA Dr. Martin Daimen said. "Nearly all health infrastructure, equipment, and staff housing have deteriorated over many years due to poor maintenance."
Following the successful emergency evacuation, Dr. Daimen said the reliance on expensive medivacs is a symptom of a larger collapse. The PHA is currently drafting a Service Level Agreement to force all three tiers of government; National, Provincial, and Local, to take responsibility for the vital service of keeping mothers alive.