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named “Victory,” to perform two surgeries. During the first “There is no charge for Australian citizens for emergency evacua-
year, there were 50 emergency flights, with 1,500 miles flown. tions,” explained Kerrie Smith, spokesperson for RFDS, “although
At least four lives were saved, with 255 patients treated. we do attempt to recoup money from private health insurers.
Medicare pays for medical appointments. In regard to overseas
With the airplane service—later known as RFDS—beginning visitors, their travel insurance covers costs and we have a reciprocal
in these remote areas, transportation was not the problem, but arrangement with some countries.”
communication was. How would people in the bush—with no
telephones or radios—be able to summon emergency help? Available year-round, every flight—whether to assist a heart attack
victim at a remote camp or to attend to a car accident on a lonely
In late 1928, Alf Traeger, a brilliant electrical engineer, invented dirt road—not only has the latest medical equipment, but the staff
the pedal radio, hooked up to a includes a doctor
Morse code machine, that was on the more serious
inexpensive and easy to use. calls, and nurse.
It also provided social com- Rotating on call
munication for lonely, isolated, 24 hours a day, 7
depressed residents in the rural days a week, they
areas. may suddenly be
contacted while at
“It was like an early form of home or grocery
emailing,” noted our guide. shopping but, once
alerted, they hop
And today, of course, satellite to it.
phones and the Internet have
revolutionized communication. It’s not rare in the
Currently covering a distance of Outback to have
over 4 million square miles, the to shoo kangaroos
RFDS, with a staff of 1,225, and with 23 bases all over massive from the air strip to take off—or to land on a pitch black night, with a
Australia, continue to carry out Flynn’s vision. Thousands of health road or air strip lit by a line of car headlights or kerosene flares.
clinics throughout the remote areas are staffed by visiting RFDS
medical teams who offer a variety of health care, including dental, “We have the best office in the world, at a scenic 30,000 feet,” not-
vision, preventive medicine, and childhood immunizations. They ed one doctor on the video. “And we get to do our job as well.” u
educate patients about nutrition, diabetes prevention; conduct
cancer screening; offer cholesterol checks and counseling ser- For more information:
vices. Some 40% of the patients are Aboriginal. During 2014-2015,
nearly 93,000 patients in rural and remote areas utilized the RFDS https://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/
telehealth services. Some 292,500 patients had contact with the http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/
RFDS, including 4,336 emergency evacuations via a fleet of 66 royal-flying-doctor-service
aircraft, with over 14 million miles flown.
To locate a visitors’ centre to tour: https://www.flyingdoctor.
“I hate to think of what would have happened if the flying doctor org.au/about-the-rfds/our-bases/
hadn’t been here,” said Joanne Ratsch of Mt. Gambier on the RFDS
video, whose two children were prematurely born at just 26 weeks More links on Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitors Centres:
and are doing well today. Alice Springs: http://www.rfdsalicesprings.com.au/
Dubbo: http://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/country-nsw/
“They really are a godsend,” added another grateful mother. dubbo-area/dubbo/attractions/royal-flying-doctor-service-
dubbo-base-education-centre-dubbo
The RFDS, with a heroic medical staff, is supported by government,
Photography courtesy Royal Flying Doctor Service
corporate, public and private sectors.

184 WDT MAGAZINE WINTER 2018