17 November 2004

Three new doctors for Dubbo Base Hospital and RFDS

The State Government will join the Royal Flying Doctor Service and Sydney University’s Rural Clinical Training School to employ three doctors for the RFDS and Dubbo Base Hospital Emergency Department.

The Minister for Health, Morris Iemma, said the doctors would be one-third funded by the Area Health Service, the RFDS and Sydney University.

“The doctors will work in the Dubbo Base Hospital Emergency Department and be available for RFDS emergency retrievals to fly acutely ill patients between hospitals,” Mr Iemma said.

“These emergency retrievals usually involve transferring a very sick person from a smaller hospital to a larger hospital for advanced medical treatment. The flights require a doctor on board because of the acute nature of the patient’s illness.

“Previously, people in western and north-western NSW had to wait until an aircraft with a doctor on board, often from as far away as Sydney, for this type of medical retrieval.

“With the employment of these new doctors, their will be extra doctors in the Dubbo Hospital Emergency Department as well as doctors on call for the RFDS Dubbo Base.

“In addition, the doctors will train medical students from the Rural Clinical Training School in the hospital Emergency Department and on RFDS medical retrieval flights.

“It is hoped to attract these emergency medicine specialists to Dubbo by providing the doctors with the opportunity to work in the hospital, do emergency retrieval work with the Flying Doctor Service and train medical students,” Mr Iemma said.

Each of the three organisations to share the doctors’ services will contribute $180,000 to the arrangement. Dr Lorna McLeod, who recently began work in Dubbo, will be the first of the three doctors whose salaries will be covered by the partnership, and two more doctors will be recruited.

For a range of health information, go online to www.health.nsw.gov.au