The Royal Flying Doctor Service was featured in our “In the Spotlight” column in the last edition of the Australian Emergency Services Magazine. Get in touch if you know someone or an organisation that deserves to be “In the Spotlight”
The Royal Flying Doctor Service is one of the largest and most comprehensive aeromedical organisations globally, providing extensive primary health care and 24-hour emergency service to people who live, work, and travel across the 7.69 million square kilometres of Australia.
Australia is a vast and expansive country, 7.69 million square kilometers is a lot of space to cover when it comes to providing services to the population. For those Australians who live and work in remote locations, access to health services is limited and this lack of access can be life threatening. If something goes wrong, it can go terribly wrong and help is a long way away.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS) is the saving grace of these communities, providing a range of health services such as telehealth consultations, a fly-in fly-out GP and Nurse clinics, and emergency and non-emergency patient transfers.
The service was established by Reverend John Flynn who was commissioned by the Presbyterian Church to look after the needs of those in the outback. Reverend John Flynn is the man on our 20 dollar note and the note itself tells part of the story of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Australia.
Reverend Flynn was witness to the plight of those pioneers in the outback and bush communities and wanted to provide them with a “mantle of safety”. The RFDS was born out of Flynn’s vision, the story of a stockman, Jimmy Darcy and an idea from a young Lieutenant, Clifford Peel.
Lieutenant Peel wrote to Flynn suggesting aviation could help to provide services in these remote locations. Peel was killed in the war the following year, unaware his idea would go on to help so many future lives.
Jimmy Darcy was a stockman from the Kimberley who suffered internal injuries when he fell during a cattle stampede. Darcy had to be transported to Halls Creek which was a long and uncomfortable 12 hour dray ride away.
Darcy would need surgery, however that was impossible as the closest doctor was thousands of miles away. The postmaster at Halls Creek was only trained in first aid. Through communication via morse code he had to perform surgery on Darcy using a pen knife under instruction from a Dr Holland far away in Perth. Incredibly Jimmy survived the surgery, however required further care.
Dr Holland made the trip from Perth to Halls Creek, which took almost two weeks and many mishaps along the way. When he finally arrived, Jimmy Darcy had died only hours earlier.
It was this story that really cemented the idea and the need for the Royal Flying Doctor Service in the heart and mind of Reverend Flynn.
The service was originally called the AMS (Australian Medical Service) when it first began experimentally in 1928. It was renamed the Flying Doctor Service in 1942 and the term Royal was added in 1955.
Since it’s small but strong beginning with only one plane, the RFDS has grown to be one of the largest and most comprehensive aeromedical organisation in the world.
Today the RFDS has a fleet of 79 aircraft with 23 air bases throughout the country. Over the last year they have had a total of 337,686 patient contacts made through RFDS clinics, aeromedical transports and telehealth consultations and have flown a total of 28,953,688 km’s just in a year!
The Royal Flying Doctor Service is a completely unique emergency service catering for a completely unique set of needs in remote communities. The RFDS are supported by the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments, however they are a not-for-profit who rely heavily on donations and support from the community in order to maintain their service and be able to purchase the latest in medical equipment.
If you would like to support this incredible organisation you can head to the website for more information. You can also listen to the Royal Flying Doctor Service Podcast for more incredible stories.
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