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Central Queensland patients transported by the Queensland Royal Flying Doctor Service will experience new levels of comfort following the acquisition of four new Beechcraft King Air 360CHW turboprop aircraft.
The RFDS Queensland existing fleet of 20 King Air aircraft travelled more than 7.4 million kilometres, landing at 224 locations and amassing more than 21,500 flight hours in 2020.
The new B360 planes will land at the RFDS Rockhampton and Bundaberg bases, Gladstone airport and other smaller airstrips in the region for urgent medical transfers.
RFDS QLD head of flying operations Shane Lawrey said the updated turboprop aircraft featured technological advancements in the cockpit, as well as enhancements to patient comfort.
Vaccination roll out for Patient Transfers
Wed, 20 Jan 2021
Patients that travel off Island to the UK for hospital treatment will be able to book a vaccination appointment from next week. The Manx Government has announced priority daily vaccination slots will be made available. The vaccines will be done, if possible, prior to transfer to the UK. Currently escorts will not be offered the vaccination. Confirmation of suitability for the vaccine is required by the relevant medical professional directly involved in the patient’s care. This will either be a UK consultant or their GP. The patient needs to obtain this confirmation and send to the Patient Transfer Office at patient.transfers@gov.im. The Patient Transfer team will collate the information with the 111 team contacting the patient to book for the vaccine.