The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RDFS) of Australia exists to provide a high quality and comprehensive health care service to all people who live, work and travel in the isolated Australian outback. Using the latest in aviation, communication and medical technology, the RFDS covers 80% of Australia with a 'Mantle of Safety'

The New South Wales, Broken Hill Station (which was the crew that the TV series was based on), has 2 planes. Everyday these planes visit one of the remote small towns and set up their practice for the day.

All the people in that area can come and visit their doctor free. Each small town will be visited every fortnight. Private homestead visits can also be arranged if booked in advance.

When there is an emergency, the call is put through to the control room at Broken Hill, where there is always a Doctor.

They will talk the person through safety procedures for the immediate needs of the patient.

There are now facilities to enable the doctor to see the condition of the patient via a digital photographic service on the internet!

Each homestead can, if they wish, have a full medical box free This has been known to have saved many lives. (Right)

The kit which is checked by the owners every month for out of date and enough supplies. Replacements are free.

When the service began, radio communication was in its infancy. Today telephones, satellite dishes and two way conferencing are replacing the high frequency radio systems that were used before.

The RDFS treats around 160,000 people each year, with 17,000 emergency evacuations.

Even backpackers and travelers to the outback have been rescued from car crashes and other incidents.

This is a 24 hour, 365 day service, and a plane will usually get to you within 2 hours!

If the cases are severe the patient will be flown to the City hospital, otherwise they will be flown to Broken Hill or treated on the spot by the Doctor or Nurse.

In a few cases runways have been created on the road.

The roster on the wall shows the immense amount of activity that goes on here at the Broken Hill Section.

It is the Head Office for New South Wales. There is always a doctor and a pilot on call.

At any time it is known where any one of the 7 doctors are, the control room staff, the pilots, the dentist and other specialists. Pre and postnatal care is a major service.

The control room personnel start at 7 in the morning and will complete an 11 hour shift, five days a week. They are all very passionate about the help they are giving.

The yearly RFDS operating cost bill is $33 million nationally. Yet almost all of the services are FREE to the user. (Australia has a similar health care system as the UK, with free health care for everyone).

The Government provides two thirds of the funding and the rest must be made up from fund raising & private contracts. Here they service aircraft for grazers & private and corporate jets. They also get considerable funding from Aussie citizens.

(They will be carrying the Olympic Torch on board one of their 2 planes, so watch out for that!)

The service was the dream of Rev. John Flynn, a Presbyterian Minister featured above.

While we were there we actually saw one of the planes taking off to go to an emergency. (That is the plane in the left corner of this picture.)

The atmosphere was calm and productive and the RFDS is certainly worth a visit if you happen to be in the vicinity of a center.