"Already this morning she's endured a hair-raising, stormy flight in a tiny Cessna 206 airplane to land on a precarious mountain ridge. Now, she steels herself for a bumpy chopper ride across a steep ravine to a village on the other side. As dentists' commutes go, Makhoali's is somewhat extreme. "One minute it's calm, the next you think you're about to die," she says of flying through the turbulent, ever-changing mountain weather in her home nation of Lesotho."
"Sometimes referred to as the Kingdom in the Sky, Lesotho is the world's only nation lying entirely above 4,593 feet). Its rugged terrain, riven by jagged peaks and dramatic valleys, renders road transport nearly impossible in much of the country, leaving roughly 300,000 people scattered throughout the highlands without reliable access to health care. For decades, the Flying Doctor Service was their lifeline, until the impact of President Donald Trump's aid cuts in January 2025 all but severed it."
Senate Makhoali, a 27-year-old dental therapist, travels by Cessna and helicopter to reach remote Lesotho villages, enduring turbulent mountain flights. Lesotho's rugged terrain and elevation above 4,593 feet make road transport nearly impossible across the highlands. Approximately 300,000 people lack reliable access to healthcare. The Lesotho Flying Doctor Service historically provided essential airborne medical care to isolated communities. January 2025 U.S. aid cuts under President Donald Trump all but severed that lifeline, forcing a tumultuous year of survival. The service is now rebuilding, seeking greater efficiency and reduced reliance on U.S. support while partnering with operators like Mercy Air.
Read at www.npr.org
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