Work Begins on Queensland’s Aeromedical Superhub

Queensland’s aeromedical healthcare providers will be brought together at a superhub now being built at Brisbane Airport.

The Aeromedical Precinct would “connect more regional, rural and remote Queenslanders to major hospitals and life-saving medical care”, the state said.

The $426-million base would be home to aircraft and resources for Retrieval Services Queensland, as well as Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), LifeFlight, and Queensland Police Service Aviation Capability Group.

Building contractor Adco, awarded the construction tender in May of this year, had broken ground on the precinct between the airport’s two runways at the Airport North Precinct.

Funding included $217 million to build an 18,700sq m multi-tenanted facility, while the remainder would be used for operational costs through to 2047.

The new precinct would oversee patient aeromedical retrieval and transport, clinical and logistic co-ordination, including statewide telehealth clinical and education support to rural and remote hospitals.

New patient transfer facilities would be onsite to safely care for people transitioning between aircraft and road ambulances, the Government said.

“The joint purpose-built hub will also feature state-of-the-art hangars for fixed and rotary wing aircraft, administration areas, and a medical base for regional patient and donor transfers,” it said in a statement. 

Retrieval Services Queensland acting executive director Michael Cussen said demand for aeromedical services was growing.

“In the last financial year, on average 60 patients were aeromedically transported every day throughout the state, with around 18 of those patients transferred to and from Brisbane hospitals via Brisbane Airport each day,” Cussen said.

“The Aeromedical Hub will ... [ensure] a co-ordinated approach to delivering life-saving care.”

Premier Steven Miles said Queensland was the most decentralised state in Australia, “which means we rely on our aeromedical capabilities so much more”.

Health and ambulance services minister Shannon Fentiman said, “This investment follows our 10-year, fully costed commercial agreements with Royal Flying Doctor Service and LifeFlight, securing the sustainable delivery of aeromedical services into the future”. 

▲ An render of the site of the Aeromedical Hub being built at Brisbane Airport, which is about 8km north-east of the CBD.