In this episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast, host Eoin Walker speaks with Mardi Steere, Executive General Manager of Medical and Retrieval Services at the Royal Flying Doctor Service, about a groundbreaking innovation in rural healthcare delivery, the Virtual Emergency Centre (VEC).

Operating in one of the most remote regions of Australia, the VEC integrates telehealth, remote diagnostics, and trained layperson intervention to deliver hospital-grade care in areas where no medical staff are physically present. Mardi shares the origins of the project, the role of technology like Starlink and wearables, and how the model is saving lives and reducing retrieval costs.

We discuss the governance and logistics behind delivering high-risk medications remotely, the scalability of the model, and how learnings from Africa, India, and Rwanda are being adapted to suit Australia’s unique geographical challenges.

Mardi also reflects on the future of healthcare innovation, from drone-delivered AEDs to virtual ultrasonography and beyond.

Learn more about the VEC and the work of the Royal Flying Doctor Service: https://www.flyingdoctor.org.au