‘Someone will die’: Mayor furious as rescue helicopter’s Mackay hospital base under threat

Mackay Base Hospital’s chief medical officer has responded to public outrage after the revelation its emergency helipad could be closed for three years during expansion works. LATEST

Mackay Base Hospital’s chief medical officer has responded to public outrage after the revelation its emergency helipad could be closed for three years during expansion works. LATEST

Mackay Base Hospital’s chief medical officer has responded to public fury after the revelation its emergency helipad could be closed for three years during expansion works.

It comes after RACQ CQ Rescue CEO Tim Healee raised the alarm on Monday, concerned Queensland Health had not made provisions for a temporary helipad two months out from a $250 million upgrade.

The announcement drew ire from Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson who feared “someone will die” from the extra time required to reach the emergency department.

Mackay Hospital and Health Service CMO Dr Charles Pain said airport diversions were due process when the helipad was inoperable, citing Cyclone Debbie and prior helipad renovations.

‘Dereliction of duty’

Mr Williamson said the deviation could add up to 30 minutes to a patient’s arrival time, as he slammed Queensland Health’s and the hospital board’s lack of foresight as a “dereliction of duty”.

“That (board’s) now made up of only three locals, and three people from not in Mackay including the chairman,” he said.

Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson is furious at Queensland Health's plan to shut the helipad at Mackay Base Hospital for three years during renovations. Picture: Heidi Petith

“I don’t care what consultants come up with this harebrained idea, to have any local board accept this as an alternative to landing at the hospital while three years of construction is going on, it’s just not on.

“There is ample landing ground very close to the hospital.

“All they’ve gotta do is invest in some footpaths, some cement work, maybe a specialised gurney to get them up to the footpath in the ED department.

“This is solvable … we cannot accept this as a regional community.”

Dr Charles Pain said the external consultant, who had visited Mackay in person, would hand down their report in December and all options, including building a temporary helipad, were on the table.

The RACQ CQ Rescue Service rely on the helipad at Mackay Base Hospital to fly in critically-injured patients. Picture: RACQ CQ Rescue Service

RACQ CQ Rescue has been landing at the airport since late October after aviation experts declared the hospital’s helipad as unsafe.

Dr Pain said this was because of nearby construction machinery.

It will reopen by November 19 and stay open until hospital upgrades commence.

$250m hospital expansion must go ahead

Ms Gannon said the $250 million expansion was vital to deliver 128 urgently needed extra beds and would include a new “permanent” onsite helipad.

Mackay Base Hospital chief medical officer Dr Charles Pain said they were considering "all options" for the emergency helipad closure from 2024 to 2026. Photo: Zoe Devenport

She said the consultant was assessing options for an interim helipad during the 2024 to 2026 construction period.

“Once this advice is received, we will be in a position to make a fully informed decision on the best outcome for our community,” Ms Gannon said.

“(The) consultant has engaged with stakeholders such as Queensland Ambulance Service, CQ Rescue helicopter service and Retrieval Services Queensland, which coordinates the movements of patients between hospital facilities.

“I can reassure the community that the safety of patients and the helicopter crews will be the top consideration as we identify helicopter landing site options.”

Mackay Hospital and Health Service chief executive Susan Gannon says it was RACQ CQ Rescue Service’s decision to move their landing location. Photo: Zoe Devenport

Mr Williamson, who sits on the RACQ CQ Rescue board, said the issue had caused contention for “several months” but it was not until Monday that Mr Healee went to the media.

Helipad’s closure extra pressure on ambulance crews: RACQ CQ Rescue

“Conducting a patient handover to ambulance crews at the Mackay Airport will also … (place) additional pressure on Queensland Ambulance Service crews,” Mr Healee said.

“We have been attempting to engage with various stakeholders including the Mackay Base Hospital on this issue for quite some time now, but at this stage there is still yet to be an acceptable outcome.”

Mackay Base Hospital will undergo a $250 million upgrade from January, 2024.

In a statement on Monday afternoon, Mr Healee said the temporary relocation of landings at the airport was “not related to concerns” expressed by the RACQ CQ Rescue “as referred to by the (MHHS)”.

He said the operational decision highlighted how unacceptable the prospect was of being unable to land at the airport for years, and they were working closely with their contractor and the MHHS to restore landings at the hospital helipad before it actually closed in January.

“We hope stakeholders can come together urgently and agree on a solution for the safe transfer and treatment of our ill and injured prior to hospital upgrades commencing next year for a period of up to three years,” Mr Healee said.

In response to Mr Healee, Dr Pain said the MHHS wanted to hear from stakeholders regarding their concerns.

Mr Williamson said this situation would never happen in Brisbane and while he “loathed” to say it, the state government was treating North Queenslanders as “second-class citizens”.

To date this year, RACQ CQ Rescue has completed more than 600 missions and is expected to surpass its second busiest year on record of 630 missions in 2022.