On the occasion of the 78th Anniversary of the commencement of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the Australian Government will provide $5 million to the Royal Flying Doctor Service (South Eastern Section), as a contribution to the purchase of aircraft.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (South Eastern Section) is undertaking a capital fundraising appeal, called “Friends of the RFDS”, to raise $10 million for the purchase of two King Air B200 aircraft for the delivery of medical services in rural and remote parts of New South Wales.
The RFDS was established in 1928 as a not-for-profit charitable service that has provided a world class aero-medical emergency and primary health care service to the people who live, work and travel in regional and remote areas of Australia for over 78 years. The Australian Government has funded the RFDS since 1932 through various funding arrangements.
The section now transports more than 11,000 patients a year and flies over 5 million kilometres per year. In addition to providing health services in NSW, the South Eastern Section of the RFDS provides health services to the Moomba Oil and Gas Fields in north-eastern South Australia and also provides inter-hospital transfers in Tasmania and Victoria.
This grant of $5 million is in addition to ongoing funding of more than $21 million annually to the RFDS at a national level for the provision of emergency aero-medical evacuations and health care clinics to Australians in rural and remote areas.