Flying Doctor cares for the Outback

Victoria Bruggy, William Bennett, and Macauley Bennett with Tilpa RFDS Clinic Coordinator Belinda Bennett. Photo RFDS

Jenny Beach, the RFDS General Manager of Health Services was in Bourke last week, with CEO, Greg Sam, talking about the RFDS and what if offers to Outback communities beyond the well-known, and greatly appreciated, rescue service.

“We still provide the retrieval and emergency services, that’s something that we will always do - come and pick people up when they’re ill or injured – it’s a really significant part of the service,” Ms Beech said.

“But the growth in primary health services has been huge in the last few years. If we can keep people well, even if they are diagnosed with something difficult, we will keep them well, for much, much longer.”

The focus of the RFDS push into primary health is to keep people in their own homes and communities.

“A big thing is keeping people where they live for their lifetime and caring for them there,” Ms Beech told 2WEB.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service has run clinics in the Far West for decades, bringing in a range of staff including doctors, nurses, mental health staff, drug and alcohol staff and even dentists. These services are now expanding into new areas.

“We’ve started to do quite a bit of primary health in western NSW as well now which has been a new step for us,” Ms Beach said. […]

Read more in the printed edition of The Western Herald.

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