In a world where travellers face multiple health risks, Medical Rescue is a national champion. The two-time Australian Export Awards winner repatriates injured and critically ill patients back to the safety of Australia and the care of their families. With operations across the Pacific and Southeast Asia, Medical Rescue is expanding. In 2024 it won a contract to deliver medical services in one of the world’s hottest and harshest environments – the deserts of Saudi Arabia.
Founded by Dr Glenn McKay, Medical Rescue retrieves sick and injured patients from remote locations. The company started in 2003 and established its first international air ambulance service in 2008. Since then, it’s grown steadily.
‘We started using jet charter aircraft in 2008, and in 2016 we began providing helicopter evacuations for the Australian Defence Force,’ says McKay. ‘In 2019 we commenced ground support for field medical services to the Australian Army.’
Today, Medical Rescue operates the busiest international air ambulance service in Australia. It has around 400 trained personnel deployed to regional and remote parts of Australia. The company provides services to government, the Australian Defence Force, construction firms, and oil and gas companies.
Approximately 50 personnel have gained official recognition. These include Humanitarian Overseas Service Medals and National Emergency Medals for helping with natural catastrophes in Australia and overseas.
Overseas expansion of award-winning company
Medical Rescue is set up to be agile. Besides its full-time workforce, it has an additional 1,000 casual staff who are registered to work with the company. This means it can rapidly expand when needed.
‘Medical Rescue provides emergency services across the Pacific and Southeast Asia from our Gold Coast hub,’ says McKay. ‘Our biggest new venture is in the Middle East.
‘We have just been awarded a contract to provide medical services on a significant infrastructure project for Saudi Aramco in Saudi Arabia. We think there are great opportunities in the Middle East.
‘This is a significant milestone for Medical Rescue (Saudi Arabia) as it demonstrates that we have met all regulatory requirements to deliver services in the Kingdom. We have been approved as a Remote Area Clinic Provider with Johns Hopkins Aramco Health. This means we can contract to Saudi Aramco projects.’
Medical Rescue will set up locally recruited medical teams to provide clinical support to construction workers. Meanwhile, Australia-based teams will provide telehealth. This includes clinical supervision by livestreaming consultations.
Australian staff members will also perform remote digital diagnostics. Medical Rescue has exclusive rights to some advanced mobile diagnostic kits in Australia and Saudi Arabia. The company will use the kits to stream digital data from constructions sites in Saudi Arabia to medical staff in Australia.
‘This way of providing medical services is very new,’ says McKay. ‘It’s an Australian first.’
Medical Rescue assists sick and injured patients across the Pacific, Southeast Asia and Saudi Arabia.
Austrade helps Medical Rescue set up in Saudi Arabia
McKay says expanding into the Kingdom has unique challenges.
‘We faced multiple difficulties,’ he says. ‘There were lots of regulatory hurdles. In a place like Saudi Arabia, the challenge is knowing local business customs and getting introductions to the right people.’
From the get-go, McKay worked with Austrade advisors based in Riyadh and Dubai. They helped explain the cultural nuances of working in Saudi Arabia. They also explained how a local partnership might work.
‘Austrade has been fantastic wherever we have gone,’ he says. ‘They have a knack for tracking down the right people.
‘Recently, I had a meeting that resulted in a fleeting business opportunity. I had just days to act. Within a short period of time, Austrade had arranged an introduction. That led to a new partnership and a new contract.
‘Wherever we go, having the Australian flag behind us makes all the difference.’
Helping sick and injured Australians get home quickly
Medical Rescue is also expanding in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. To augment capabilities, in 2023 the company purchased its own jet. This is being used to repatriate Australians who find themselves in dire medical straits anywhere across the Asia Pacific.
‘We recently evacuated 3 people from Bali on the same weekend, who were injured but had no insurance,’ says McKay. ‘This is an incredibly stressful time for families. Often, it’s not clear whether it’s medically safe to evacuate the patient.
‘We routinely manage the diplomatic process of ensuring a professional and timely clinical handover from the foreign hospital to the care of our Australian flight team. Then we take responsibility for getting those people safely back to Australia and their families.
‘We’re also helping to repatriate cruise ship passengers who become critically unwell during voyages in the Pacific. This is an essential service if the ship is days away from a hospital suitably equipped to care for the passenger.’
Advanced medtech and Australia’s Pacific family
Part of the company’s appeal is the way it uses medtech. McKay wants to bring his company’s technology and services to Pacific Island nations where medical services can be sparse.
‘We are very keen on digital diagnostic capability, especially if we can roll this out in remote parts of the Pacific,’ says McKay. ‘It’s part of our vision to provide healthcare where there is limited access. It’s an opportunity for us to step up and help our Pacific family.’
McKay says Austrade will be part of this ongoing journey.
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