Construction of a new state-of-the-art rooftop helipad above the Emergency Department at Port Macquarie Base Hospital is set to start within weeks, improving access to life-saving health services for patients on the Mid-North Coast.
The NSW Government is investing $21.5 million to deliver the Helipad Relocation and Car Park project at Port Macquarie Base Hospital.
The helipad will be relocated from its existing ground level site to the rooftop above the Emergency Department to provide patients with a fast and direct connection to the hospital’s Emergency Department and operating theatres.
The state-of-the-art helipad is expected to receive between 50 and 60 patient movements each year and will ensure patients have faster access to life-saving emergency care.
BESIX Watpac has been appointed the building contractor for the project and construction is expected to take around 13 months to complete.
The new helipad will enhance accessibility to health services at Port Macquarie Base Hospital, which is a major referral hospital for the Mid-North Coast region, providing specialist services to communities in Port Macquarie-Hastings and Kempsey.
Construction of the rooftop helipad above the Emergency Department will be followed by work to build a new street-level car park on the old helipad site, which will provide more than 180 additional parking spaces.
The car park project will also include improvements and expansion of existing carparks to provide safe and convenient access to hospital services for patients, visitors and staff, now and into the future.
Mid North Coast Local Health District Chief Executive Stewart Dowrick said the new helipad would help to meet the future aeromedical needs of the local community.
“The new rooftop helipad will be valuable addition to our hospital and enable seriously ill and injured patients to have immediate access to the treatment and care they need,” Mr Dowrick said.
“The existing helipad will continue to operate while the new helipad is completed and has undergone improvements over the years to meet changing aircraft requirements.”
The Port Macquarie Base Hospital Helipad Relocation and Car Park project is part of the NSW Government’s record $11.9 billion investment in health infrastructure over four years to 2025-26, with nearly a third of the capital allocation in this financial year going towards regional and rural health facilities.
Since 2011, the Government has completed more than 180 health capital work projects across NSW, with more than 130 currently underway – of those, more than 90 are in rural and regional areas.
For more information visit Port Macquarie Base Hospital Helipad Relocation and Car Park