The RFDS in SA/NT
What we do
Every year, we assist more than 56,000 patients in South Australia and the Northern Territory - that's one patient every 10 minutes.
RFDS SA/NT began in 1939 and delivers emergency aeromedical and community healthcare services throughout South Australia and the Northern Territory, be it an aeromedical evacuation, a GP and Community Health Nurse clinic, a telehealth call, a mental health or oral health clinic, or a child's immunisation.
We operate four aeromedical bases in Adelaide, Alice Springs, Darwin and Port Augusta, as well as three remote primary healthcare facilities in Andamooka, Marla and Marree in outback South Australia.
The RFDS is a not-for-profit organisation. While we receive support from governments, we rely on fundraising and donations to bridge the gap in operational funding, and to finance replacement aircraft, medical equipment and other major capital initiatives.
Find out more our services below.
Emergency Aeromedical Service
A farmer pinned under a tractor, a child with a snakebite, a motor vehicle accident on a remote dirt road or a sudden severe illness. The RFDS provides 24/7 emergency aeromedical evacuations throughout outback Australia for people who are seriously ill or injured and require urgent medical attention.
Read more
Outback Community Health Services
The RFDS is committed to delivering whole-of-life community health services to help outback, rural and remote Australians live happier and healthier lives. In any given year, the RFDS delivers more than 13,000 community health consultations across South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Read more
Inter-Hospital Patient Transfers
In South Australia and the Northern Territory, the RFDS transfers 20 patients a day from country hospitals to metropolitan hospitals for life-saving treatment or higher levels of care.
Read more
Remote Oral Health Care
The RFDS Oral Health Care Program offers a mobile dental and oral health care service to residents and communities throughout rural and remote South Australia and the Northern Territory. Regular ‘fly-in’ clinics provide opportunities for people of all ages living in remote locations to access high-quality dental care at no cost to the patient.
Read more
Mental Health & Wellbeing
The RFDS Mental Health & Wellbeing Service supports adults and young people in outback South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Read more
Education & Training
We offer a range of training programs including education for doctors and nurses to keep their emergency skills up to date, as well as First Aid training for people living in remote communities. RFDS Central Operations also offers a range of placements for medical and nursing students.
Read moreGraphic:
The John Flynn's Memorial Historical Reserve is the resting place for the ashes of the Reverend John Flynn, founder of the Flying Doctor Service and the Australian Inland Mission.
The grave is on a low hill at the foot of the MacDonnell Ranges. The plaque expresses a lifetime achievement in just a few lines "His vision encompassed the continent". He established the Australian Inland Mission and founded the Royal Flying Doctor Service. He brought to lonely places a spiritual ministry and spread a mantle of safety over them by medicine and the radio.’
Click here to know more about John Reverend Flynn.
Our Fleet
Our Fleet
Pilatus PC-12
RFDS Central Operations operates 18 Pilatus PC-12 aircraft capable of carrying two stretchered patients in a full aeromedical fitout. They have a hydraulic lifting device to move stretchers on and off the aircraft through a dedicated cargo door. There are seats for a Doctor, Flight Nurse and one passenger.
Pilatus PC-24
RFDS Central Operations took delivery of its first permanently configured aeromedical jet in 2019, the RFDS Medi-Jet 24. A game changer in aeromedical care, the RFDS Medi-Jet 24 slashes total mission time and delivers three critically-ill patients the finest care in the air.
Read more