Improving Access to Primary Care Services and Aeromedical Evacuations in Rural and Remote Australia

Overview

In the 2023-24 Budget, the Government committed additional funding of $29.1 million over two years from 2023-24 to support the RFDS to:  deliver additional primary health clinics, dental health services, mental health services  increase primary aeromedical evacuations and  support the RFDS Federated Office for their new role under the partnership.  This additional funding builds on the funding of up to $1 billion over 10 years, announced in the 2022-23 Budget, for RFDS to provide essential primary health care services and aeromedical evacuations for rural and remote patients in areas of market failure, or beyond where normal medical infrastructure would otherwise provide services. In November 2022, the Commonwealth Government and the RFDS signed a five-year grant agreement (2022-27) with a five-year extension option for the delivery of the above services.   The objectives of the grant opportunity are to support RFDS to deliver essential services to support people living in rural and regional areas, and remote First Nations communities, through additional primary care visits and increased aeromedical evacuations.  The intended outcomes of the grant opportunity are to improve health outcomes leading to a better quality of life for people in rural and remote areas in locations of market failure where traditional service delivery models are not viable. To view the grant opportunity documents, please select the red "Grant Opportunity Documents" button on the left-hand side.