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If not for crucial support, Rachel Crozier would face a daunting 400-kilometer journey to the nearest city to secure healthcare for her family.
Living in the small, isolated community of Tibooburra in the far north-west of New South Wales, Crozier is part of a town with a population of just 95 people.
The town’s residents have grown accustomed to handling healthcare challenges with resilience. However, when persistent issues arise, they depend greatly on the weekly visits from the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
“In Tibooburra, we are truly fortunate to have their support,” Crozier shares with AAP.
Even a situation as simple as her son waking up with a severe toothache could have been overwhelming without this essential service.
“We have to do an 800km round trip to see the dentist,” she explains.
“When the flying doctor comes it’s great because we don’t have to do that trip to access healthcare.”
Driving for hours is not always practical for the young mum, who says weather conditions, including frequent flooding, can make travel difficult at best.
Her family being able to rely on the fly-in service is therefore crucial to their wellbeing.
“It’s a lot to get the kids in the car and sort everything out, and with animals at home too,” Crozier adds.
“Especially if it’s rained, the road is closed, so you can’t get anywhere.”
Limited access to healthcare is common in regional and rural communities across the country.
About half a million Australians live in “GP deserts” and receive 40 per cent fewer services per person than the national average, according to the Grattan Institute.
With poorer access to check-ups, screening and medication, the burden of chronic disease is higher in rural and remote areas and life expectancy is shorter.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service runs more than five dozen clinics each day in rural towns from 19 bases.
That’s more than 23,000 nurse, GP and dental clinics across Australia each year along with 20,000 face-to-face mental health consultations.
In places like Robinvale, in Victoria, where the only GP to 2500 people was under immense pressure, it’s been a godsend.
In central NSW, at Condobolin, almost 1300 patients a year have come to rely on the service despite clinics only being made available to them in 2024.
The RFDS has expanded its primary healthcare services elsewhere in NSW too, with 19 female GPs and rural generalists providing women’s care through the Clive Bishop Medical Centre in Broken Hill and outreach clinics, including Tibooburra.
“In many communities, the flying doctor isn’t just supporting the healthcare system, we are the healthcare system,” clinical director of primary care Nici Williams says.
“We provide the cervical screens, the contraception support, the antenatal checks, the mental health appointments and the chronic disease care that women simply cannot access elsewhere.
“This is what equitable care looks like in action.”
The service allows rural residents the opportunity to access prescriptions, screenings and routine appointments locally.
Crozier has lived in her community for more than a decade and used the service when she was pregnant with her son.
“I actually got renal colic and they had put me into preterm labor. The flying doctor got me from Tibooburra to Adelaide within two hours,” she says.
“It makes you feel like it’s okay to live out here because you have that service right there, and you have that backup.
“You can call them any time, any day and they are there.”
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