A patient in critical condition from Niue was medically evacuated by the New Zealand Defence Force on Thursday.
A Ministry of Health spokeswoman confirmed that the patient does not have Covid-19.
A New Zealand Defence Force spokeswoman confirmed crew on a C-130 Hercules conducted a medical evacuation from Niue after a request from the Niue Government.
An Air Ambulance NZ medical doctor and two New Zealand Defence Force medical personnel were on board.
The aircraft landed at the air force base in West Auckland’s Whenuapai on Thursday afternoon.
A St John Ambulance spokeswoman confirmed that two ambulances attended to transport the critical condition patient to Auckland City Hospital.
This comes after a fortnight after New Zealand’s U-turn decision on conducting a medical evacuation for a patient in Fiji who tested positive for Covid-19.
The Ministry of Health spokeswoman said that requests for medical treatments in New Zealand, particularly in the Pacific Islands are common.
“Every request is considered, carefully taking into account factors such as the clinical needs of the patient, whether safe transport can be arranged and the availability of appropriate care in New Zealand.”
