A different world this!

 "My life is so happy, I'm helping people and saving lives", said Justina, a teardrop peeping through her eyes.

 Justina manages the High-Frequency Radio Station; I know; I understand; I was equally surprised listening to her story as much as you, dear readers. How does someone operating a radio station save lives? Welcome to this world. The world of radios. 

"There are remote places in the highlands which don't connect to mobile telephones. People might have to walk one or two hours to get a signal. Hence, the primary mode of communication for such villages is through High-Frequency Radio waves. So MAF Technologies, the Organisation that employs Justina, has installed radio stations in many of these villages. Most of these radio stations are kept along the airfields. Yes, airstrips, the only mode of transport for them is a small aircraft. 

In times of emergencies, like last month, when a wild pig had bitten a lady, the villagers go to the airstrip agent. The agent calls the MAF Technologies monitored radio station. If the case needs emergency transportation of the patient, like in this case, the flight operators are informed over the radio about the emergency and emergency air ambulances are flown in. If the patient just needs an assessment, a doctor is patched up on the radio for long-distance assessments and advice. 

Even in non-emergency situations, when any person in a village, wants to pass on a message to someone in the bigger towns, the radio stations are used, again through the airstrip agent and through MAF Technologies, and in most cases Justina. "I monitor the radio station from 7.45 am to 5 PM, but we will have to monitor it 24*7*365 and hence other staff pitch in and take turns during weekends and evenings", Justina concluded, in her measured radio-trained tone. 

At a time when Non-Governments are scoffed upon and a generation for whom altruism and selflessness are foreign words, there is a motley group of men and women monitoring radio stations and saving lives. 

The numbers over the years have come down! Cell phone penetration is happening, albeit slowly. But Justina is sure that there are still villagers who will need her and her ilk. Last year had 368 calls, out of which 116 were medical evacuations and 69 were medical assessments done over radio. 

I could not complete my graduation. Violence in my village at that time did not let me complete it. My home was burnt. My parents could not afford to send me to university. It is God's grace that I ended up joining here. I'm happy. I save lives. Justina concluded. 

It is indeed a different world! A world where quiet, simple and sincere people like Justina are fighting odds to save lives.