None of us know when we might need the Flying Doctor
Jess had been helping her family pen new cattle on her parents’ station—something she’d done countless times before. Then, out of nowhere, a cow charged. In seconds, her life was hanging in the balance more than 1,000km from the emergency care she needed.
When an accident happens, every minute matters. People like Jess are counting on the Flying Doctor to reach them — wherever they are. Your tax-deductible gift before 30 June can help prepare the next aircraft to save lives like hers.
Help transform an aircraft from an empty shell into an ICU in the sky
For decades, our B200 aircraft have been the quiet heroes of our skies. But some of them have now been flying to every corner of Queensland for 20 years, clocking up over 20,000 hours in the air. So, we need to invest now for the future reliability of our fleet.
The King Air 260C is replacing the B200 aircraft because it shares the same qualities: it’s lightweight, robust and powerful. But before it can fly its first mission, the interior must be stripped back and transformed into an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the sky. It will then be fitted-out with life-saving equipment used to assess, stabilise, and treat patients thousands of feet in the air.
Your support is urgently needed to transform the first King Air 260C, so RFDS aeromedical crews have everything they need at their fingertips to care for a critically ill patient like Jess.
Jess lay on the ground in intense pain, 1,000km from the emergency medical care she needed. Her one focus was staying alive until the Flying Doctor reached her. Flight Nurse Izzy and the team were preparing as they flew.
“We knew Jess was struggling to breathe and she was likely to have multiple fractures and internal injuries. By the time we landed, we had our meds drawn up. We were ready to make whatever interventions were needed, including putting her on a ventilator.”
Jess could never have survived the 12-hour journey by road to a major hospital. But
the Flying Doctor brought an emergency doctor, nurse and an ICU to her. Once her breathing was stabilised, Jess was loaded onto the RFDS aircraft and flown to Toowoomba Hospital.
Please make your tax-deductible donation before 30 June to help fit-out the first King Air 260C as an ICU in the sky—ready for its first life-saving mission.
