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A second “dragonfly” emergency helicopter has rounded out the fleet of the new Lagaw Kuyup Rescue Service in the Torres Strait.
Babcock Australasia has officially welcomed the Leonardo AW139 aircraft, one of two helicopters to fly under the Lagaw Kuyup banner, to strengthen medical services throughout the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area.
The emergency helicopter will enter service immediately in dragonfly livery and join a twin aircraft which began operations last month.
The aircraft can fly faster and further than the existing fleet and comes fitted with enhanced medical, retrieval and search and rescue equipment for a more agile response to the unique emergencies that arise in the region.
“We are immensely proud to be delivering this service to the local community of the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area in partnership with Queensland Health, Queensland Ambulance Service and Retrieval Services Queensland, in what will be a life-changing service for those who find themselves in need of emergency medical assistance,” said Duncan Milne, Babcock Australasia managing director of aviation and critical services.
“Communities as remote as Ugar and Erub will now benefit from direct transfers to Thursday Island Hospital to receive medical care.”
In addition, the delivery is envisioned to strengthen and solidify the strategic partnership between Babcock, Queensland Health and the local community.
Aerial services are an essential part of medical response in indigenous communities throughout the Torres Strait, to fly patients from the 17 primary healthcare centres on the islands to the region’s main hospital on Thursday Island.
“We are incredibly excited to have both new AW139 aircraft operational in the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula region, supporting transfers of patients and delivery of emergency healthcare, as well as bolstering search and rescue capability in the region,” said Dr Mark Elcock, Queensland Ambulance Service, Retrieval Services Queensland executive director.
“The Lagaw Kuyup Rescue Service will be staffed around the clock by specially trained doctors and paramedics from the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service and Queensland Ambulance Service, ensuring equitable access to specialist care 24 hours a day, seven days a week in one of Queensland’s most remote and isolated areas.”
