Roma LifeFlight reveals annual 2022-23 rescue numbers, credits new Roma-based team

Roma LifeFlight has released their yearly report which shows a record-breaking number of rescue missions completed by the aeromedical chopper team. Here’s the full break down.

The Roma-based LifeFlight Surat Gas Aeromedical Service (SGAS) helicopter crew came to the aid of 74 people last Financial Year. Picture: Supplied.

The Roma-based LifeFlight Surat Gas Aeromedical Service helicopter crew came to the aid of 74 people last financial year.

New statistics reveal the most common reason for the Roma chopper crews to be sent to an emergency scene over the past year was to attend serious motor vehicle incidents.

This was followed by falls from animals, abdominal and cardiac incidents and animal and medical emergencies.

This number is a significant contribution to an overall record year for LifeFlight Australia, with the service’s rescue helicopters, Air Ambulance jets, critical care doctors, flight nurses and paramedics helping 7349 people in need across the country.

Missions are now being performed by crews operating from their new Roma facility, the purpose-built Lee Family and Australian Country Choice LifeFlight Centre, which opened in May this year thanks to a joint partnership between governments, the council and local community.

The brand new Roma LifeFlight base whih opened in May 2023. Picture: Supplied.

The top five community mission categories in 2022/23 Financial Year for the Roma LifeFlight SGAS helicopter were: 

1. Motor vehicle incidents (10 missions)

2. Fall from animal (9 missions)

3. Abdominal (7) & Cardiac (7)

4. Animals (6 missions)

5. Medical (4 missions)

The community missions performed by the Roma LifeFlight SGAS crews come at no charge to patients and are a crucial and life saving service, especially for rural communities like the Maranoa region.

Much of LifeFlight’s aeromedical work involves responding to medical emergencies and performing Inter-Facility Transfers – moving patients between medical facilities - which ensure all communities have equal access to the best possible healthcare, no matter where they are in the state.

“The majority of Queensland is a rural environment and people are a long way from really high levels of tertiary hospital care,” LifeFlight director Dr Jeff Hooper said.

“Our feeling is that every Queenslander deserves that opportunity to be rapidly transferred to a world class standard of care.

“These accidents often have multiple injured patients and it’s a life changing scenario for lots of people.

“Our job is to manage these patients on the side of the road and provide critical care interventions and transport these patients to hospital for often life-saving surgery, as quickly as we can.”