Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS) is a private, nonprofit service that provides medical care free of charge to people in Australia’s outback regions. It uses aircraft to deliver 24-hour emergency care and to transport patients to or between hospitals. In addition, it runs health clinics at remote locations.
RFDS physicians also give medical consultations over the telephone or radio. The organization oversees medical chests at thousands of isolated locations across Australia. These chests contain a wide range of medicines and other medical supplies. Doctors can prescribe medicines from these chests after a consultation. Rural healthcare workers can also use the supplies in emergency situations. A special program for rural women transports female physicians to isolated communities.
The RFDS depends on funding from federal, state, and territorial governments. The organization also relies on charitable donations from businesses and individuals.
The RFDS was established as the Aerial Medical Service in 1928 by John Flynn, an Australian Presbyterian minister. It was inspired by a proposal by Lieutenant John Clifford Peel, an Australian medical student and pilot. After reading Flynn’s writings about the need for improved health care access in rural communities, Peel in 1917 suggested the use of aircraft as a cost-effective solution.
It took more than 10 years for Flynn to gather the necessary funding and technology to make Peel’s idea a reality. One key invention was the pedal radio. Developed in 1928 by the Australian engineer Alfred Traeger, pedal radios were connected to bicycle-powered generators. This setup allowed people to operate the radios in areas without reliable electricity. Pedal radios were distributed throughout rural Australia, and people were encouraged to use them to request medical assistance.
The Aerial Medical Service was founded in Cloncurry, Queensland, but it quickly expanded to other parts of the country. By 1939, air bases had been established in every Australian state except Tasmania. The medical chest program was created in 1942, the same year the organization was renamed the Flying Doctor Service. In 1955, Queen Elizabeth II approved the addition of the word Royal to the name. A Tasmanian section (branch) of the RFDS was created in 1960.
During the 1960’s, the RFDS shifted from using contractors to hiring pilots as employees and owning its own aircraft. The organization has expanded its operations and continued to establish new bases in the 2000’s. There are more than 20 RFDS bases across Australia.
See also Australian Inland Mission.
