( CNN ) -- A patient from a research station in Antarctica is being treated at a hospital in Christchurch , New Zealand , according to the National Science Foundation . The patient `` may require immediate corrective surgery best delivered at a more capable facility than is available at McMurdo , '' the foundation , which manages the U.S. Antarctic Program , said in a statement . `` The facility at McMurdo is equivalent to an urgent-care center in the U.S. , and is not equipped for the type of procedure being contemplated . '' The patient 's identity has not been revealed publicly , an no condition report has been issued . An Australian medical team , which had been asked by the United States to assist , flew into the remote research base on an A319 Airbus from Christchurch . The team landed on an ice runway at McMurdo Station about 1:15 p.m. Thursday ( 9:15 p.m . ET Wednesday ) , said Patti Lucas , spokeswoman for the Australian Antarctic Division . They got a chilly reception : temperatures Thursday were -13 degrees Fahrenheit ( -25 Celsius ) , according to the U.S. Antarctic Program . The plane was airborne and en route with the patient back to Christchurch within about 75 minutes , said Debbie Wing , a spokeswoman for the U.S. National Science Foundation , which oversees the facility . The plane landed at 7 p.m. Thursday in Christchurch ( 3 a.m. Thursday ET ) , the science foundation said . The patient was in stable condition before the plane 's arrival , said Wing , adding that she could not say whether the person 's condition is life-threatening . The mission to the hub of the U.S. Antarctic Program was occurring during the Antarctic winter , when there is little daylight for six months . The Australian team was enlisted to carry out the rescue because no U.S. aircraft was in a position to respond quickly , the NSF said in a statement . The U.S. , Australian and New Zealand research programs in the Antarctic `` have existing agreements under which such assets may be shared as needed , '' the statement said . From the archives : Stranded American researcher rescued from South Pole . Wing said she could not say whether the patient had become sick or injured while at the facility , but she noted that anyone contemplating a trip to the facility must first pass `` a very rigorous health screening process . '' McMurdo can accommodate nearly 1,500 people , but only some 60 to 70 people stay there during the winter , when the extreme weather precludes regular flights , Wing said . From the archives : Doctor rescued from Antarctica in 1999 dies at 57 . The station , established in 1955 , is built on volcanic rock on Ross Island , the solid ground farthest south that is accessible by ship , according to the NSF , an independent U.S. government agency . The station is equipped with landing strips built on sea ice and shelf ice , as well as a helicopter pad . Researchers there conduct studies in astrophysics , biology , medicine , geology , glaciology and ocean and climate systems . In 2010 , New Zealand 's air force -- in two separate incidents -- evacuated two Americans from McMurdo . Last October , the U.S. Air Force rescued an American researcher who had suffered a suspected stroke while working at the South Pole . She was flown from the South Pole to McMurdo Station , then on to Christchurch . In 1999 , a then-47-year-old U.S. physician found a lump in her breast while stationed at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Research Station . Dr. Jerri Nielsen diagnosed herself with breast cancer and commenced treatment on herself with chemotherapeutic agents that were parachuted to the station . It was later revealed , according to a March 2009 article in the Detroit Free Press , that Nielsen -- an emergency room doctor from Cleveland , Ohio -- had performed a biopsy on herself with the help of non-medical crew , who practiced using needles on a raw chicken . Her cancer returned and Nielsen , then 57 , died in 2009 . Antarctic ice shelves 'tearing apart ' Satellite documents thinning ice shelf .
A patient from Antarctic research station is being treated at a New York hospital . The patient has not been publicly identified , nor has a condition been released . A flight plan landed on an ice runway at Byrd Station . The station is the hub of the US Antarctic Program .