The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) is one of three essential Western Australian community organisations to receive part of the $9.1 million in funding from WA resources companies, as part of the COVID-19 Community Support Initiative set up by the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia.
Image credit: Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Image credit: Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Image credit: Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Funds donated by Western Australian gold miners have supported the RFDS’ fleet of 18 aircraft and their expert crews of doctors, flight nurses, pilots and logisticians. The RFDS in WA is ready to respond as needed as part of a rapidly deployed emergency response service for health emergencies. Each aircraft is essentially an Intensive Care Unit in the sky and is fully equipped with ventilators and high-tech aeromedical equipment.
Royal Flying Doctor Service Western Operations (RFDS WO) is an iconic and innovative charity which saves lives, improves outcomes for patients, and serves the communities of regional and remote WA. With its team of highly qualified medical specialists, investment in ground-breaking aircraft and technology and a commitment to innovation, the RFDS in WA is leading the way in aeromedical service.
With the outbreak of COVID-19 across Australia, the RFDS stepped up their support to regional Australians. The RFDS has been on the front line of COVID-19, transferring more than 100 suspected cases and three confirmed cases of COVID-19. As a result, the RFDS pioneered the development of new aeromedical infection control guidelines, heightened their protocols and training, while still responding to critical lifesaving emergencies, and delivering vital healthcare to the most remote communities.
As a front line responder, the RFDS work alongside the State Health Emergency Coordination Centre and are a key ally in WA’s coordinated emergency response to COVID-19.
A vital link in the State’s health and emergency services network, the RFDS routinely treat patients with infectious diseases and they have effective and excellent infectious control protocols and experience. The RFDS has been transferring confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients from across the State. Their aeromedical teams stepped up for the retrieval of the Diamond Princess cruise ship patients and transferred them back to their Jandakot base to specialist care in Perth.
As a not-for-profit charity, RFDS continually relies on the generosity of donors to sustain the service. Preparing for COVID-19 was an unprecedented challenge which invited the WA resources community to help with the RFDS to be response ready, now, and into the future.
RFDS WO Chief Executive Officer Rebecca Tomkinson extended her gratitude to all founding donors for digging deep and generously contributing to the important and ongoing work of the service.
“Now more than ever, our services across aeromedical emergency response, rural and remote health clinics and telehealth consults are essential to the safety and well-being of West Australians across the State,” Ms Tomkinson said.
“Our response to COVID-19 will continue to be a critical and ongoing effort and we thank our supporters for standing with us as we provide our highly professional and specialised care for the Western Australian community throughout the pandemic and beyond,” Ms Tomkinson concluded.
About the Royal Flying Doctor Service
In 1928, Reverend John Flynn established the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Cloncurry, Queensland. Before the RFDS, there was little medical help for people who lived in rural areas. If they were seriously injured, they would travel hundreds of kilometres to reach a doctor, often dying before they got there. Today, the RFDS remains the largest aeromedical emergency and healthcare service in the world. RFDS WO covers the largest health jurisdiction in the world, with five bases strategically located across the State. Underpinned by innovation and technology, the grassroots care and calm of crews on the front line are deeply embedded in the DNA of the service and the legendary stories of the RFDS continue to be shared.
Learn more about how RFDS is helping regional WA communities receive vital medical attention, by visiting their website or following them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
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