The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) has experienced a dramatic increase in life-saving call-outs … and the ever-growing army of grey nomads out on the open road is one of the reasons why.
There has been has a 21 per cent increase in the number of people transported by the service throughout South Australia up until April 30 this year when compared to the same period in 1996. Newly released figures show that equates to more than 2000 patients in just four months, or the equivalent to 16 people every day. In certain grey nomad hotspots such as the Eyre Peninsula, the figures are even more dramatic … with the number of patients dealt with there up a mind-boggling 36 per cent over five years. More than 250 people have been transported from the region since the start of the year – that’s more than two patients flown to Adelaide every day – for life-saving treatment or higher levels of hospital care
While there are no hard figures as yet indicating just how many of those transported were grey nomads, the RFDS says most cases related to existing medical conditions and heart attacks.
“Whilst we don’t do the hardened numbers on whether people are grey nomads or not, anecdotal evidence is showing tourism and tourist regions are a significant part of our workload,” said the RFDS’s Charlie Paterson “There are more people travelling through regional areas either working, playing and visiting people … and they unfortunately fall every now and again.”
The RFDS is reminding travellers of the importance of taking all their medications while they are on the road. The service says that, with cardiac cases, the RFDS can usually get to patients anywhere in South Australia and the lower Northern Territory within 90 minutes, and that speedy response time is obviously greatly improving the chances of many people’s survival.
The release of the figures coincides with the 83rd anniversary of the first flight of the RFDS.
“RFDS aircraft and crew land in Port Lincoln practically every day, and other key centres such as Ceduna, Cummins and Streaky Bay at least once a week,” says Mr Paterson. “It is more important than ever that essential services are maintained.”
The RFDS currently operates 54 aircraft, five remote health facilities and employs more than 900 staff across the nation, providing vital emergency medical and primary healthcare services to more than 250,000 Australians each year.
