Federal Labor pledged $10 million during the 2022 election campaign for a second CareFlight helicopter for Darwin while Alice Springs relies on the fixed-wing Royal Flying Doctors Service and repurposed charter helicopters for medical retrievals.
St John Ambulance NT chief executive Judith Barker said having a dedicated medical helicopter for Central Australia would be beneficial to the region.
"I think it's about galvanising and bringing that discussion together and joining forces."
Ms Barker said there were options to hire a non-medical helicopter for medical emergencies across the region but there were logistical limitations.
"[The helicopter] has to be reconfigured every time we use that.
"Also the helicopter we use now is not equipped with a winch or any rescue equipment," she said.
Ms Barker said each medical emergency was assessed through the Alice Springs Medical Retrieval and Consultation Centre in discussion with St John.
Ms Barker said considering the current capabilities of the helicopter, it was essential that the aircraft could land, given it was not equipped with rescue equipment.
"Our paramedics are helicopter trained, so they can do either or they can go in by road or helicopter.
"But it really depends on the access to the person," she said.
Ms Barker said there were ways to fund a potential rotary medical retrieval service in Central Australia.
"Or we could look to federal funding ... But certainly a community-funded helicopter is an option, and it's worked elsewhere," she said.
Holding pattern
Chief Minister Natasha Fyles, who has a declared conflict because her partner works for CareFlight in Darwin, said a helicopter medical retrieval service for the region was worth considering.
"It's something that we could look at," she said.
However, Ms Fyles said the ongoing operational costs might prove prohibitive.
"These resources may sound fabulous on paper but how will they actually be deployed," she said.
As the $12 million multi-storey car park at the Alice Springs hospital nears completion the Chief Minister said she was not aware whether it had a helipad in its design.
"I'm going to have to take that on notice," she said.
"I know that some of our hospitals have a helipad landing point.
"But it's often not about having the helicopter land at the hospital. It's being able to to have a resource that can land nearby and then transfer someone."
