Fly Around Clinic - 2006

The focus for the Fly Around Clinic in October 2006 was providing much needed dental services to the bush as well as offering general and specialist medical care. Travelling from Tibooburra in far western NSW to Reola, Naryilco, Durham Downs and Innamincka (and back to Tibooburra each night to sterilise the dental equipment!), the RFDS team covered 2,132 kms over four days.

Dentist Dr Lyn Mayne (with trainee dental assistant Amy Lynd) saw 49 patients, Dermatologist Dr Ian McCrossin saw 63 patients, and our Senior Medical Officer, Dr Mike Hill, conducted 50 patient consults, treating patients for a range of complaints from orthopaedic problems to gastroenteritis. They also conducted cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes screenings and picked up one patient with serious problems and two who required further testing.
The team set up in dining rooms, bedrooms and guest rooms at homesteads. Other than restraining the portable dental chair in the aircraft cabin, their greatest challenge was working out how to keep the flies out of the dental patients’ open mouths!