$38.6 million to WA Royal Flying Doctor Service - a raw deal for those living in the bush

The West Australian Government's commitment of $38.6 million to the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RDS) has been slammed by the the Rural Doctors' Association of WA as a raw deal for those living in the bush.

President of WA's RDS, Dr. Rob Whitehead, says the allocation represents only half the amount needed and the government had severely underestimated the cost of delivering urgent medical assistance to people in the bush.

Dr. Whitehead said the original request by the RFDS for $68 million was the minimum amount needed to adequately respond to life-threatening emergencies in rural and regional WA.

Dr. Whitehead blames the 'city-centric' attitudes of politicians and a focus on pouring funds into Perth’s health system, this he says has left some parts of the State with unsafe health care.

Demands for the RFDS have increased by 50 per cent over the past five years and Dr. Whitehead says when critically ill patients are flown on Qantas jets to hospital because the RFDS is so overstretched, rural people are getting a raw deal.

Dr. Whitehead says either a lot more resources are needed in rural hospitals so they can cope with medical emergencies, or adequate medical transport services, which are robust, must be ensured.

The request by the RFDS for $68 million would have been used for five replacement aircraft and three new aircraft.

Premier Alan Carpenter says a closer examination of the organisation showed the full amount was not immediately required and $23.9 million would be allocated for recurrent funding and $14.49 million would be spent on three replacement aircraft and two new aircraft.

Mr Carpenter has denied the money is a pre-election sweetener and says extra funding would be considered in the next State Budget - he says while the RFDS was a vital service the Government had to be responsible.

RFDS chief executive Tim Shackleton says the five-year funding package would only meet the service's needs for the next three years and the RFDS will continue to negotiate with the Government regularly to further their case.