Meet RFDS medical officer Dr Elaine Powell
My name’s Elaine Powell and I’m a medical officer with the RFDS. When I trained to be a doctor in England I never imagined I would one day end up in a place as remote as Broken Hill, and with such a unique job. The RFDS Medical Team in the South East is responsible for treating thousands of patients across 640,000 square kilometres… that’s an area nearly three times the size of the UK.
People shouldn’t be disadvantaged just because they live in the Outback but they are. There’s a chronic shortage of doctors in remote parts of Australia. There’s no such thing as a typical day for a Flying Doctor. I spend most of my time seeing patients at remote clinics or conducting telephone consultations from the Base. Unlike a city GP, I have to fly several hours to reach my patients. I treat people with illnesses and injuries, try to prevent and manage chronic disease and do everything I can to prevent health concerns escalating into emergencies. But when there is an emergency it’s vital we reach the patient as quickly as possible.
Remember the Treloar family we wrote about in the last Flyer? Young Flynn Treloar (named after the Rev Flynn who started the Flying Doctor Service) was mustering sheep recently when he got his motorbike caught in a sand drift, a legacy of all the recent rain. He came off his bike, knocked himself out and broke his collar bone in three places. Luckily the RFDS was able to reach him.
Flooding rain has made our work more challenging. Dirt strips can be difficult to land on and some clinics have been inaccessible. There are other consequences too. More insects and mice mean more snakes and we’ve seen a significant increase in snake bites. Whatever happens, we respond as swiftly as we can. Time and again, we land on remote strips to find anxious family members waiting to greet us. We are their lifeline when things go wrong. Providing emergency care onboard a small aircraft, with limited resources, is a huge challenge. When I’m up in the air, with no back up, I have to use all my skills and experience to give my patients the best possible chance of survival.
Being a doctor with the RFDS is a humbling experience. Every day, we make a real difference to the lives of people who otherwise would not have access to essential medical care. That’s why the work we do is so important, and why we rely on you to help us. Any donation you make helps keep the Flying Doctor in flight and that, in turn, saves lives. Thank you for your valued support.
Dr Elaine Powell
RFDS Medical Officer
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