Royal Flying Doctors Service of Australia

Australia's Royal Flying Doctor Service

Oprah.com | November 18, 2010

While in Alice Springs, a thriving outback town in the Northern Territory, a group of our Ultimate Viewers visited The Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Center to learn the history behind this lifesaving Australian institution.

Australia is approximately the same size as the United States (not including Alaska), with regions that very from bustling urban cities to the rugged and rural Outback. For people living in remote areas, medical care was often scarce—until one man took it upon himself to create a service that could bring doctors to every corner of Australia.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS) was created by Rev. John Flynn, a minister who lived in the Outback for most of his life. Without nearby hospitals, he witnessed the daily struggle of people living in remote areas to find medical care. In 1928, he opened the Australian Inland Mission Aerial Medical Service (later renamed the Royal Flying Doctor Service) in Cloncurry, Queensland. By using aircrafts to fly doctors across the country, the RFDS is able to provide on-site emergency care, transport patients to hospitals and consult with doctors all over Australia.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia today

Today, these "flying doctors" provide medical assistance to more than 270,000 people every year, or one every two minutes. The RFDS is one of the largest aeromedical organizations in the world with a fleet of 53 aircrafts operating from 21 bases across Australia.

Using the latest in aviation, medical and communications technology, RFDS provides Australians with 24-hour emergency service wherever they live or travel.

Visitor centers are located around Australia to provide insight into the daily operation of the RFDS. For more information, visit FlyingDoctor.org.au

See the Ultimate Viewer's full Northern Territory itinerary

Printed from Oprah.com on Sunday, May 19, 2013