Despite the service contract for the Otago Rescue Helicopter ending this month (October 31) the Ministry of Health (MoH - Te Whatu Ora) has still not confirmed its extension.

The emergency helicopter service is operated by Helicopter Emergency Medical Services New Zealand Ltd (owned jointly by HeliOtago and GCH Aviation) and operates under a contract with the MoH. 

The parties are locked in negotiations with the contracts deadline looming.

An MoH spokesperson told the Wānaka App that negotiations began in May this year with an expectation that they would take several months, saying that time period was common for service contracts of this nature.

“Negotiations with Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) regarding a new service contract are expected to conclude before the end of the month,” the spokesperson said.

“Should a new service contract not be in place before the end of October, an extension will be sought via a contract variation to enable the negotiations to be completed.”

The Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter Trust, which helps fund the service, said the contract is based on an expectation of ongoing committed community donations and bequests, saying generous community donations are critical to its operations and future.

In its recently released annual report (for the year ending June 30, 2022) the trust said it was still confirming requests for community funding from November 1, 2022. 

In the past year (July 2021 - June 2022) the trust received donations totalling $1,354,084 and a bequest of $115,417. Included in the donations were amounts of $350,000 from the Otago Regional Council, $53,660 from the Rotary Club of Wānaka’s annual Cropping Competition, and $10,000 from Lodge Wānaka.

“We are most grateful for the generosity of our community in providing the required funding to assist the service to respond to often desperate emergency situations across the region,” the trust stated in the annual report.

The lifesaving service, which is vital in the Upper Clutha, responded to 1,611 patients in the year to 30 June 2022, involving 2,852 helicopter hours being flown. This compares with the previous year of 1,703 emergency patient missions and 2,949 hours being flown.

The slightly reduced mission numbers reflect a quieter period in early 2022 due to Covid-19 restricting people’s movement in the community.

Since then, the trust said the service has been extremely busy and additional paramedics have been appointed to respond to the demand.

“There is expected to be ongoing growth in demand for the vital rescue helicopter operation across our large and geographically challenging area, especially as activities reignite after the Covid restrictions of recent years,” the trust said.

Te Whatu Ora said while contract negotiations have not been finalised they do not anticipate any reduction in service for the regions served by HEMS after November 1.

HEMS chief executive officer Ken Franklin did not respond to requests for comment.

PHOTO: Supplied