Patricia found Judy bleeding early in the morning. Pregnant with her third child, Judy had gone into labour at home in her village in Kivori, in remote Papua New Guinea (PNG).

She was a four-hour drive away from the nearest hospital, in the capital Port Moresby.

Her mother-in-law, terrified, sent for the nearest available help, and Patricia, a Village Health Volunteer trained to identify and assist mothers during pregnancy and childbirth, arrived soon after.

“I stayed for some time,” Patricia says. “Judy’s water did not break until 3pm and then her contractions started and she delivered the baby, but not the placenta.”

Recognising Judy had a retained placenta and therefore was at risk of developing an infection, Patricia immediately called for a public motor vehicle to take Judy to Beraina health clinic.

This quick diagnosis helped Judy get the medical assistance she needed, potentially saving her life.

“I was so lucky I went to Beraina. At the clinic the nurse helped deliver the placenta [using oxytocin], then she gave me some medicine and I stayed overnight,” Judy says.

“I was so worried and I thought I would be finished.”