AN elderly woman suffering a medical condition has been airlifted from a passenger ship off the coast of Newcastle, a spokesperson for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service said.
Just after 2pm on Sunday the helicopter met the ship about 60 nautical miles north-east of Newcastle so the woman, 83, could be airlifted to hospital, the service said.
An earlier report said the woman had sustained serious leg injuries in a fall however the service has since updated its advice to say the woman had been suffering a medical condition impacting blood flow to her legs.
She required urgent medical attention and evacuation to a hospital.
The critical care medical team was winched on aboard the ship and helped the ship’s medical staff to stabilise the woman before she was winched off and flown to John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s Challenger aircraft provided cover for the emergency crew.
