MidCentral Health is pleased to announce that it has awarded its air ambulance services contract for patient transfers to HeliPro. HeliPro is an organisation with extensive experience in providing state of the art equipment, aircraft and professional pilots in delivering search and rescue and commercial pilot services across the whole of New Zealand.

MidCentral Health Hospital Services operations director Lyn Horgan said: “To ensure improved efficiency, patient and staff safety and the availability of quality helicopters and fix wing aircraft and equipment, MidCentral chose to go to the market, requesting proposals from organisations with extensive experience in commercial and patient transfer service sector.

“There were two strong contenders for the contract which was decided by a panel of experts including clinicians. The decision to award the air ambulance patient transfers contract to HeliPro was a combination of many factors including: equipment, service, and reducing the time taken for patients going by road transport to waiting air services.”

HeliPro will be responsible for the transfer of patients from Palmerston North Hospital to other hospitals.

Philips Search and Rescue Trust will continue to provide search and rescue services for the region, such as picking up injured patients from mountains, motor vehicle accidents and rural farm accident victims and delivering the patients to Palmerston North Hospital.

“MidCentral Health is appreciative of  the  service Phillips Search and Rescue Trust  has provided over the years, and will continue to provide going forward, with its search and rescue services, which  are provided with the assistance of  community fundraising support.

“MidCentral Health is looking forward to the new business partnership with HeliPro that it believes will hold significant benefits for the community and which it intends to gradually transition in the New Year once hospital flight nurses and staff familiarise themselves with the new company’s aircraft and pilots,”she said.

Photo courtesy NZ Civil Aircraft blog