Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern meets Middlemore Hospital staff, patients

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern pictured with Middlemore Hospital ICU staff including Dr David Galler, right. Photo / Twitter

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has paid a visit to staff and patients at Middlemore Hospital which is treating many of the Whakaari/White Island victims.

Intensive care specialist Dr David Galler tweeted a photo of Ardern with himself and others in a ward at the hospital this morning.

In it he wrote how much a visit by the PM meant to the patients and staff.

"The details of what we do are a mystery to most. We do good work here. It's hard and complicated and good to share."

⁦@CMDHB⁩ ⁦@KazemiAlex⁩. It means a lot to the patients their families and staff at the Middlemore ICU to get a visit from our PM ⁦@jacindaardern⁩. The details of what we do are a mystery to most. We do good work here. It’s hard and complicated and good to share. pic.twitter.com/tqFcC4exkD

— david galler (@gauloir) December 18, 2019

The eruption victims have been spread around seven of the country's hospitals, while many from Australia had been flown back across the Tasman for treatment.

Meanwhile, the Middlemore Foundation today says it's been overrun with offers of help after a plea for donations to help care for the injured in the tragedy.

National Burns Service Co-ordinator Tracey Perrett said the public had so far offered food, accommodation and transport.

While it was appreciated, they were still after donations of money which "would be of greater long-term support to burn victims and their families".

"Donations to the National Burn Centre, through the Middlemore Foundation, will go directly towards providing additional equipment and resources to better support patients and their families now and into the future."

Burn victims faced a long road to recovery.

"There will be repeated trips to theatre and a long stay in hospital, during which time patients may face physical and geographic isolation."

The Middlemore Foundation is asking for public cash donations to support the hospital's burns unit dealing with 8 of the Whakaari-White Island victims. Surely the Minister/Ministry of Health will step in with extra financial resources to cover the urgent costs?

— Tim Murphy (@tmurphyNZ) December 18, 2019

Meanwhile, GNS staff will this afternoon do a flyover of Whakaari/White Island to get a closer look at a landslide created by last week's eruption.

The area had been unstable for more than a year.

The observation flight would let staff see the vent area, eruption deposits and landslide scarp. The helicopter would not be landing.

The likelihood of another eruption occurring in the next 24 hours has now dropped to 15 to 30 per cent, duty volcanologist Michael Rosenberg said.

Despite the possibility lowering, another "explosive eruption from the main vent area" remained likely, without any "precursory activity especially if there is a collapse of unstable material around one of the vents", he said.

The volcanic alert level remains at 2.