The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS Western Operations) is a not- for-profit organization providing aero-medical evacuations across all of Western Australia, in addition to a range of visiting medical services to remote and rural areas.

The RFDS operates from 5 bases in Western Australia – Jandakot, Kalgoorlie, Meekatharra, Port Hedland and Derby. Each base is effectively staffed with 5 full-time pilots, 3 doctors and 5 nurses and provides a 24-hour emergency response as part of a state-wide system. Our corporate office and operations centre are at Jandakot Airport in Perth. Administration

Doctors are required to have very broad medical experience including obstetrics, paediatrics, anaesthetics and emergency medicine. They do long shifts on duty, sometimes exceeding 24 hours and individual emergency retrievals from more distant parts of the State can take up to 12 hours at a time. Doctors  Our Flight Nurses are all experienced nurses, qualified as midwives as well as in critical care. Nurses

Each year in Western Australia our service manages:

We attend every type of medical condition, in age groups from newborn to the elderly, and from violent patients with mental illness to tourists injured on holidays. The RFDS covers locations as close as Rottnest Island, to as far away as Kununurra, or the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean.  Data 

A significant number of cases are people from the city, working or traveling in rural and remote areas; for example, the weekend tour of the vineyards at Margaret River resulting in a car accident, to the retirees who fall ill on their trip through the north west. 

While State and Commonwealth Governments contribute significantly to our operational costs but the Service is reliant upon fundraising for the remainder of operating costs and the purchase of medical equipment and aircraft. Annual operational budget is approximately $25 million.

There is no charge on patients for our service. Fundraising

RFDS aircraft fly over 4.4 million kilometres in WA each year utilizing a fleet of 11 aircraft rotated among the five bases. The service operates night and day, every day of the year with all emergencies coordinated from an Operations Centre in Perth.  Aviation

While State and Commonwealth Governments contribute significantly to our operational costs but the Service is reliant upon fundraising for the remainder of operating costs and the purchase of medical equipment and aircraft. Annual operational budget is approximately $19 million.

There is no charge on patients for our service.

Aircraft include the Beechcraft Super King Air B200 which flies at up to 30,000ft and 500kmh. Aircraft  Since 2002 we have been operating Pilatus PC12's built in Switzerland.  Pilatus PC12  All aircraft are fast turboprops, able to land on small remote airstrips, and have a large interior that is capable of handling all necessary medical equipment, patients and crew.

Cost of new aircraft is now in excess of A$5.5 million each.