Every two minutes, someone needs the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
For 96 years, the Royal Flying Doctor Service has provided a crucial mantle of safety for people living in remote, rural and regional areas. Whether it’s a life-threatening injury, an inter-hospital transfer, or to see a GP, dentist or mental health clinician, the Flying Doctor provides the finest standard of care to every Australian who needs us.
68
Primary health care clinics delivered every day across Australia, providing medical care, immunisations, health education, mental health and dental health care services.
112,839
Australians are flown each year by our expert aeromedical teams.
2,370
Medical chests located across rural and remote Australia, supported by 24/7 telehealth services and emergency evacuations.
Our stories
The Royal Flying Doctor Service brings emergency medical and primary health services to remote, rural and regional communities, many of whom don't have any other healthcare access. We make it possible for people to live, work and travel across this large, harsh, unique, and beautiful country.
Highway to Help
When Tony’s vehicle rolled off the Eyre Highway in one of the most remote areas of the country, he was trapped in his car clinging to life – needing the RFDS to land on the road to airlift him to safety.
Stroke strikes behind the wheel
Steve was driving on a lonely stretch of the Goldfields Highway when he instantly lost all feeling in the left side of his body. The 66 year old suddenly couldn’t move while behind the wheel of a manual car, travelling at 110 kilometres per hour.
Ella's outback dash
Ella is one of very few pregnant women who can say they drove themself to hospital behind the wheel of a prime mover.
The Perth woman was 35 weeks pregnant when she decided to join her partner Dave for one last Kimberley adventure before starting her maternity leave. The couple run a business transporting temporary accommodation in their oversized truck.
They were halfway between Halls Creek and Warmun when Ella’s waters broke.
“We looked at each other and thought ‘surely this can’t be it?’” Ella recalls....
Saturday night snakebite
For long-haul truck driver Lee, Saturday nights are usually spent behind the wheel on lonely stretches of highway, but one such night in March took a turn, when he had to be flown from to Perth by the Flying Doctor.
The 55-year-old father had pulled over in Meekatharra for a quick pit stop. He’d walked two paces from the front of the truck when he was bitten on the foot by a snake.
Live Flight Map
The Royal Flying Doctor Service has 81 aircraft that cover the length and breadth of the country delivering aeromedical services. This map shows the fleet of RFDS aircraft that are currently in the air, providing vital services across Australia.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service travels far and wide to offer 24/7 aeromedical retrieval. But to create better health outcomes, we’ve gone even further.
Today, more than 50% of our daily operations are dedicated to extensive primary healthcare services, including dental, mental health, and healthcare education.
23 Air Bases, 68 clinics held every day. 2,370 medical chests located in remote and rural locations, supported by 24/7 telehealth services. Thanks to you we can address the healthcare disparity between the city and the bush and improve health outcomes.
