Medical Specialists - South Eastern Section
With funding provided by NSW Health, South Eastern Section operates the Rural Aerial Health Service (RAHS), bringing the expertise of medical and allied health specialists to patients in remote and rural areas. The services provided by RAHS include paediatrics, radiology, speech pathology, psychiatry, ophthalmology and dentistry. This level of specialist care means that fewer patients have to travel long distances for referral or follow up treatment.
RAHS flights depart from Bankstown, Dubbo, Albury, Armidale, Ballina and Tamworth. As the shortage of health professionals in regional areas worsens, the role of RAHS becomes increasingly more important.
A recent area of expansion has been in the Riverina/Murray region, with new flights from Albury and Wagga Wagga to Hay, Deniliquin and West Wyalong.
In a typical year, more than 100 medical specialists consult with nearly 11,500 patients, providing both acute and preventative interventions.
People in remote areas often find it difficult to access specialist medical help. We make it easier through the Rural Aerial Health Service (RAHS). We fly clinical specialists from major cities such as Sydney, Dubbo, Tamworth, Williamstown and Albury out to clinics in the bush. RAHS flights are managed by our Dubbo Base and a number of changes were made this year, to both flight schedules and passenger booking systems, in order to maximise the amount of ‘clinical’ time at destinations.