Confronted by the deaths of parishioners in Papua New Guinea, Anglican priest Father Michael Nixon realised his flock needed more than spiritual support.

It was the late 1970s and there were just 30 doctors in the whole country. 

“Where I was working as a priest was grim,” he tells Australian Doctor.

“One month, I had five women all die from retained placentas in a very isolated area, and I didn’t know what to do.”