Royal Flying Doctor Service
 | |
| Abbreviation | RFDS |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | AIM Aerial Medical Service |
| Established | 15 May 1928 |
| Founder | John Flynn |
| Founded at | Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia |
| Type | Not-for-profit organisation |
| Legal status | Charity |
| Headquarters | Canberra, Australia |
Region served | Australia |
| Services | |
National Board Chair | Tracey Hayes |
National Deputy Chair | John O'Donnell |
| Affiliations | Six autonomous regional divisions and a national office |
| Website | flyingdoctor |
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an aeromedical retrieval service in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation that provides urgent and emergency medical transport for patients in rural and remote areas of Australia who require transfer to a higher level of care (such as a tertiary referral hospital). The RFDS also provides primary health care services such as general practice, mental health and allied health to remote communities who would otherwise have limited access.
The RFDS operates as a federation of six regional organisations, known as Sections and Operations, which are overseen and coordinated nationally by RFDS of Australia. Founded in 1928, the RFDS was the world’s first comprehensive civilian aeromedical service, and remains one of the largest aeromedical emergency and healthcare services in the world.