The White Butterflies Patrolling the Skies of Colombia

By Sergio Hernández Perea

In the most isolated regions of Colombia, shortages in visual health, diagnostic tests, specialised tests, surgeries, reproductive health, and more are commonplace. People in these communities are not used to seeing a healthcare professional and, in many cases, are unaware that they have any illness. 

Additionally, in marginalized territories, it is difficult to access medical centres. In some areas, unusual means of transportation, such as boats or other maritime vehicles, are required to reach the primary care point. This situation has been exacerbated by the massive migration of populations neighbouring Venezuela, as these people arrive in poor health conditions, with new pathogens, and without optimal access to any treatment.

 Here comes the Patrulla Aérea Civil Colombiana (PAC), a non-profit organization that for the past 58 years has been dedicated to carrying out medical missions to these places, where even the most common painkiller is a treasure.

In its origins, the PAC was created to support authorities in rescue operations in hard-to-reach areas. It emerged from the union of amateur pilots who wanted to use their aircraft and knowledge for the common good. Quickly, the medical needs of the most vulnerable populations became apparent to this association of pilots, who have been systematizing their medical missions.

Keys to a Successful Humanitarian Operation

With an average of 20 missions a year, which involve transporting qualified personnel, supplies, medications, and sensitive technology, the key to the PAC is focus and organization. 

“We not only carry out planned medical and surgical brigades, but we have also responded to the country’s largest emergencies, such as the Armero avalanche or the Coffee Axis earthquake,” said Pamela Estrada, general director of the Patrulla. Focusing on missions that bring health is, according to Pamela, the way the organization can do its best. 

All this requires meticulous coordination, as a multidisciplinary team of volunteers must be assembled, willing to dedicate an entire weekend to providing services, performing the most needed tasks, and equipping them with the appropriate implements. Additionally, the schedules of the pilots, who remain the backbone of the operation, must be managed, as they not only donate their time but also make their aircraft available to transport healthcare professionals.

To operate, in 2023 alone, the Patrol received donations of over COP 3.725 billion (USD 894,779.56) and the successful management of the resources resulted in 19,370 interventions, divided into 13,499 medical consultations, 446 surgeries, 1,812 surgery supports, and 3,613 non-surgical procedures. Additionally, 7,670 medical treatments, 4,655 prescription glasses, and 903 family planning implants were provided. This operation involved 272 volunteers, 242 of whom were healthcare professionals and 30 pilots, who donated their time and expertise.

Things That Cannot Be Measured

“Other health initiatives I know of do not provide glasses to patients; Patrulla does. I feel that makes all the difference for the patients,” said Daniel Santos, an optometrist.

In the department of Vaupés, beneficiaries of the mission recount never having seen a doctor before.

This is a common scenario in the territories where Patrulla arrives with medical missions. Women who have had multiple pregnancies and have never received prenatal care, people who are completely unaware that they have a visual condition and find out through the mission, or cases of malnutrition and dehydration in fertile and abundant land.

“How is this possible,” says an indignant gynaecologist Angela Vargas, who has contributed her knowledge to Patrulla for 7 years. During that time, she has seen it all and laments that the precariousness of remote territories makes health the last concern of the inhabitants. For Dr. Vargas, these 7 years have been a harsh reality check on the state of Colombian society, but also an invaluable treasure for her profession. “You learn to be a doctor here. I am a gynaecologist thanks to the Patrol missions. In the city, it is easy for me to treat patients; I have everything at my disposal, the patients understand me, and everything is mechanical. In the missions, overcoming limitations and attending to people who are overflowing with gratitude at the slightest treatment, that’s where I have become a doctor,” she says.

Viviana Castaño, a 33-year-old paediatrician who decided to return for her second mission, recounts that interacting with the children of the regions was therapy for her. “It’s not just the pain, it’s the day-to-day life,” says the doctor, emphasizing that beyond physical needs, the spirit of the patients must also be considered. “We paediatricians are the doctors of the whole family; you treat the child but listen to the mother, advise the grandmother… and you realize that the children have hope.”

Cristian Machado, a 10-year-old Venezuelan boy, beneficiary of one of the Patrol’s missions in the department of Arauca, in eastern Colombia and a potential lawyer, is an example of this hope. Of feeling it and inspiring it: “I think that, if you have three lollipops and have two friends, the best is one for you, one for you, and one for me.”

Every two weeks, at 6 in the morning, when the volunteers prepare for takeoff in the north of the Colombian capital, it is not just a group of people with medical supplies that takes off. The white butterflies that herald hope take off. A mobile hospital that trains better health professionals for a nation that still suffers takes off.

Although these may seem like palliative actions for a chronic illness, those involved assure that a single diagnosed child, a pair of glasses delivered, or a mother accompanied, is worth it.

Get to know more about this NGO at www.patrullaaerea.org.