The new $16 million helipad at Launceston General Hospital (LGH) is now operational, allowing faster, safer and more efficient transfers of critically ill patients.
Health Minister Jacquie Petrusma said the new facility will enable smoother and quicker transfers of patients to the intensive care unit (ICU), emergency department or operating theatres.
“It allows that quicker, faster and easier transfer of the patient to the ICU, the emergency department or the theatres,” she said.
“The new helideck also allows our Aeromedical Service Rotor Lift to take off or to land in different adverse weather conditions because it allows easier access and egress from directions on the helipad.”
The project created around 240 jobs and involved around 12 to 18 months of work.
Ambulance Tasmania CEO Jordan Emery said the helipad will allow the service to land two to three times per week, providing life-saving care to Tasmanians.
“We know from later this week, our helicopters will be actively landing on this helipad right here and providing that life-saving care to Tasmanians as part of a fully integrated critical care network across the state,” he said.
“It’s a state-of-the-art pad, it’s able to be landed on in all weather conditions, it has all the redundant safety features and fire suppression features which are critical to safe and contemporary helicopter operations and that’s why it’ll stand to benefit Tasmanians for decades to come.”
He says the helipad will also reduce the time it takes to move a patient from the landing site into the operating theatre, ICU or emergency department.
“The site here is not impacted by other persons perhaps using the park, the helicopter will have dedicated access to this landing site whenever required, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
“That will significantly cut down the time taken to move a patient from the helipad itself into either the operating theatre or the intensive care unit or of course down to the emergency department,” Emery said.
The new helipad replaces the previous landing site at Ockerby Gardens, which was closed due to safety concerns.
During the transition period, paramedics have been landing at Launceston Airport and transporting patients to the hospital.
