The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) is to approach the Western Australian Government for a $20 million funding boost to establish a base in Broome. The service, which has come to the aid of many a remote area travelling grey nomad over the years, has seen a huge influx in demand recently.
“Particularly in the last five years demand in terms of the number of patients we transport out of the north of the state’s increased quite considerably,” RFDS chief executive Grahame Marshall told the ABC. “Broome has changed for us … it’s now our busiest patient transport hub in the north of the state.”
Demand for the service to and from the iconic grey nomad destination has apparently increased 236% in the past decade … yet the closest centre is 200 kilometres away in Derby. The RFDS says a new base is desperately needed but would cost about $20 million, far too expensive for the service to fund itself.
“That would incorporate things like hangar and office facilities, probably a couple of aircraft and obviously crews to man the aircraft,” said Mr Marshall. “A 24-hour-a-day service means obviously people living in the area and then that flows on to a cost to us in terms of finding housing and other facilities up there for staff as well … we move just over 600 patients to and from Broome at the moment.”
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