Not sure that the limited RFDS capability and resources is just argument for a helicopter. Any use of a rotary winged rescue aircraft would be used for "local' work. A helicopter would be rarely used to fly someone to Adelaide. It is far safer to manage them in Mt Gambier hospital until a fixed wing resource is available. A rotary wing trip (AB 412) from Mt Gambier to Adelaide would be approx 2.5 - 4 hours at a guess with a stop for fuel on the way, (used to be 1 hour flying time from FMC to Keith). This is compared to a 50 min - 1 hr trip to the Mount via fixed wing Pilatus (RFDS).
A rescue helicopter could be used to transfer critically ill people from other SE hospitals to Mt Gambier, however I don't think that Mt Gambier High Dependency would be able to cope with this. Many retrievals are done direct to the country hospital concerned (but not always) however some transferring does occur. Not sure that the cost of rotary wing v's road transfer from a SE hospital to the Mount would be well argued especially if they are then simply transferred on to Adelaide via RFDS.
Also if local ambulance resources were not able to meet operational needs, then a rapid response for trauma using a helicopter could be considered but again, very expensive resource for not a lot of return and returning a patient to what level of care.?
Hate to say it Bill, but I would be very VERY surprised if the proposal got off the ground (pardon the pun), it has little bang for buck features and doesn't address the primary concern that you raised of getting people to Adelaide.
@ Badjas - For Retrievals involving Medstar, the 'utilise' RFDS for transport. A standing arrangement exists whereby the retrieval service will contact SAAS stating the nature and location of the trauma / critically ill patient and then liaise as to the best transport medium to take the team out and bring them back.
This might involve private car / taxi / SAAS vehicle / SAAS ambulance / Rotary wing - AB412, BK117 or EC130 or fixed wing - Pilatus (RFDS), Commercial jet or Charter Jet. (Occasionally water craft are required and this might involve SAPOL / SES or Marine and Harbours etc) Often a combination is used throughout a retrieval. I believe that Medstar will be having their own rapid response vehicles to mean that they are self-sufficient for responding from other emergency services (ie SAAS).
I believe that Moomba have a helicopter, used for general duties but can be configured for patient transport.
When I worked at Ayers Rock, we had an agreement with a local Helicopter charter company to provide a rapid response capability for nurse / paramedic to outlying emergencies. This would mostly be backed up by a road vehicle for transport.
Hope this helps.
Cheers
Shane
