New Zealand Community Trust has awarded a $150,000 grant to Wellington Hospitals Foundation for a replacement Neonatal Flight Transport Incubator System. This grant is part of a wider community fundraising campaign aimed at helping Wellington Regional Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) replace an aging incubator. The new system will ensure that critically ill and premature babies from across New Zealand continue to receive the highest standard of care during their emergency transport to the hospital.

Wellington’s NICU provides specialised neonatal care to babies from across the central motu, and beyond, handling more infant transfers than any other hospital in the country.

Wellington Hospitals Foundation Chief Executive Guy Ryan highlighted the importance of the replacement equipment, saying, “Many of New Zealand’s smaller regional hospitals don’t have the resources to care for premature and critically ill babies. Wellington Regional Hospital’s NICU fills this vital gap by providing specialist care to vulnerable newborns from Taranaki, Gisborne, Nelson, and Marlborough, and from many other regions throughout the country.”

The NICU Flight Transport Teams, made up of a nurse, doctor, and respiratory therapist, operate 24/7 and need at least four flight incubators on the go. With the new transport incubator system, these teams can continue to deliver the critical care that premature and critically ill babies need right after birth and during their emergency flight to Wellington for lifesaving treatment. NZCT’s grant will help maintain this essential work, benefitting hundreds of premature and sick infants annually.

One parent's recent experience highlights just how important the new incubator is. “It was terrifying! I’d just had a baby and had no idea how she was. I didn’t even know if she’d survive the flight. It’s only a one-hour flight from Gisborne to Wellington, but it felt like forever. I’m really thankful to the NICU Flight Team’s doctors and nurses for looking after her,” says Waimarie, mother of baby Koko, born three months early and weighing just 736 grams.

NZCT’s GM of Grants, Marketing, and Communications Ben Hodges adds, “We’re delighted to be able to help our most vulnerable new Kiwis, get the best possible start in life. NZCT is grateful for the responsible gaming fundraising partnerships we share with hospitality venues that made our grant possible.”

© Scoop Media