Flying Doctors Team Provides Relief For Those Cut Off By Drought in Queensland
The Royal Flying Doctors are providing relief for people cut off by drought in Queensland. The dental team has been visiting communities affected by drought to provide farmers and their families and other rural inhabits with much-needed dental care.
Up to 80 percent of Queensland has been affected by prolonged dry periods this year and rural farmers are struggling to make a living. Many of them cannot even afford the most basic dental and medical care and this has contributed to widespread health problems in the farming community.
The dental team from the Flying Doctors is currently making its way through Queensland in an 18-wheel mobile dental unit fitted with equipment to provide a range of routine treatments and offer pain relief to those who have been struggling.
Dental nurse Jo Conway said that the drought has had a devastating impact on farmers and many are struggling to make ends meet. The team tours rural farming villages during the year, offering pain relief and carrying out treatments such as tooth extractions and fillings.
Dental nurse Monique Slade said that many farmers put all their efforts into trying to keep the cattle alive during dry periods and this means that their own health falls by the wayside. The mobile unit is a way of reaching out and making treatment more affordable.
As well as targeting farmers, the unit also provides dental treatment for children of all ages and adults living in rural towns.
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