Royal Flying Doctor Service program

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) provides free emergency aeromedical evacuations and healthcare services for people living in rural and remote communities. This is often where no other health services are available. We have funded the RFDS since the 1930s.

About the program

The RFDS delivers high-quality essential primary healthcare services to people in rural and remote areas, including:

  • aeromedical evacuations
  • primary health clinics, including general practitioner (GP), nursing and allied health services
  • dental health clinics
  • mental health clinics
  • remote consultations (via phone or video call)
  • medical chests (containing essential emergency medical supplies).

The RFDS program has changed its name to 'The Ensuring Provision of Essential Primary Health Care Services in Rural and Remote Australia Program'.

RFDS bases and flights

Why it is important

About 7 million or one-quarter of Australians live in rural and remote areas.

Because of their limited access to health care, people in these areas often have poorer health outcomes.

The program provides patients in rural and remote areas with medical, dental and mental health services that they might not otherwise be able to access.

Goals

The program aims to ensure that all Australians have access to essential health care, no matter where they live.

Status

We have a strategic partnership and long-term funding arrangement with the RFDS.

Every 3 years, the RFDS will do a needs assessment to identify locations where health services are most needed, to target services well.

RFDS service delivery

Each year, the RFDS supports more than 300,000 Australians in rural and remote areas, often where there are no health services available.

In 2023-24, Commonwealth funding supported the RFDS to care for more than 38,000 people across rural and remote Australia.

Learn more

For more information, see:

Contact

Royal Flying Doctor Service contact

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. We have provided funding for its important work since the 1930s.
Date last updated:

Help us improve health.gov.au

If you would like a response please use the enquiries form instead.