Increased Funding For The Royal Flying Doctor Service, Australia

April 18, 2007 – 10:37 am | posted in Public Health

The Prime Minister has announced that the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) will receive increased Commonwealth Government funding over the next four years.

Increased funding of $154.4 million over the four years to 2010-11 brings the Government’s funding support over this period to a total $247 million.

The RFDS will use the funding for operational and capital costs, including aircraft replacement, emergency aero-medical evacuations and primary health care services. In recognition of their important national role, the package will also include funding to support governance-related initiatives to allow the RFDS to operate on a stronger national basis.

As well, the funding will contribute to the purchase of an aircraft, expected to be situated at the RFDS Alice Springs base, which is one of the oldest and busiest of the RFDS bases. Over the past 10 years patient contacts from Alice Springs have increased by 44 per cent - from 6,563 in 1995-96 to 9,447 in 2005-06.

In 2005-06, the 50 RFDS aircraft flew more than 20 million kilometres to attend to more than 200,000 patients and carry out more than 34,000 aerial evacuations.

The Commonwealth Government will continue to work with the RFDS, state governments and the Northern Territory Government to ensure the long term sustainability of this iconic organisation.

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