What is the purpose of the Royal Flying Doctor Service?

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) works to provide emergency medical and primary health care services to anyone who lives, works or travels in rural and remote Australia.



The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) is a non-profit aeromedical organization that provides a "mantle of safety" for people living, working, and traveling in rural and remote Australia. Its primary purpose is to ensure that everyone has access to emergency and primary healthcare, regardless of how far they are from a city. The RFDS performs emergency evacuations for accidents and critical illnesses, but they also run "fly-in" primary health clinics, providing dental, mental health, and GP services to outback communities. In 2026, they support over 300,000 Australians annually. Because one-quarter of Australia's population lives in remote areas where traditional hospitals are unreachable by road in a crisis, the RFDS uses a fleet of over 80 aircraft to bring the hospital to the patient, often landing on dirt strips or highway runways.

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The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) is one of the largest and most comprehensive aeromedical organisations in the world, providing extensive primary health care and 24-hour emergency service to people over an area of 7.69 million square kilometres.

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flying doctor service, method for supplying medical service by airplane to areas where doctors are few and communications difficult. The plan for the first service of this type was conceived in 1912 by the Rev. John Flynn, superintendent of the Australian Inland Mission of the Presbyterian Church.

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Filmed on location in and around Broken Hill, RFDS captures the beauty and brutality of Australia's vast centre where the doctors and the nurses, pilots and support staff of the Royal Flying Doctor Service negotiate the unique challenges of medical emergencies across some of the most inhospitable places in the ...

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The RFDS base at Bankstown began operations in July 1994. Bankstown Base is the home of the Rural Aerial Health Service (RAHS) which the RFDS operates on behalf of NSW Health. While administration and coordination of RAHS flights takes place at the Dubbo Base, the majority of flights are made from Bankstown.

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The Royal Flying Doctor Service, commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an air medical service in Australia.

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The Presbyterian minister, the Reverend John Flynn, devoted his life to improving the welfare of Australians in the outback. In 1912 he contributed to the establishment of the Australian Inland Mission and, in 1928, the Aerial Medical Service.

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Thomas Edward Fitzpatrick (April 24, 1930 – September 14, 2009), nicknamed Tommy Fitz, was an American pilot known for two intoxicated flights where he flew from New Jersey and landed on the streets of New York City. Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York, U.S.

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