A 10-year-old boy with a shattered kneecap has spent almost a week in Karratha Hospital in serious pain, waiting for a Royal Flying Doctor Service flight to Perth for surgery, as the WA Country Health Service cites "unusually high" demand for patient transfers.
Noah Ross was injured in a scooter accident at a local skate park last Wednesday. His mother, Kayla Ross, said she was called to find him on the ground. Since arriving at Karratha Hospital's emergency room, Noah has needed around-the-clock pain medication and has been unable to leave his bed.
"Really bad because I can't move out of bed," Noah said. "I haven't seen sunlight for days and I can't do anything so it's really painful and annoying."
Ms Ross said the family was initially told the wait might be a couple of days. "Yesterday there was a flight for us. Unfortunately the plane broke down." A commercial flight is not an option because Noah's pain level means he cannot lower or bend his leg. There has been no confirmation of when he will be flown to Perth.
The WA Country Health Service (WACHS) said Karratha Hospital was experiencing "unusually high" demand for patient transfers. "As a result some retrievals are taking longer than usual as aircraft are prioritised to the patients who need them most urgently," said Fred English, WACHS acute retrieval and ambulance director. "There are currently five patients awaiting retrieval in Karratha. All remain in a stable condition. It is clinically appropriate for these patients to continue receiving care locally, they're in capable hands."
The RFDS remains the only option for urgent medical transfers for people living outside safe driving distance from Perth. The service maintains a fleet of 17 turboprop aircraft, 3 jets and 2 helicopters, transporting an estimated 29 people each day.
Having lived in Karratha for three years, Ms Ross said she was surprised by the wait. "If we were in Perth we would've had the surgery and he would've been home by now recovering," she said. "Instead it's prolonging that recovery period." She said local hospital staff had been brilliant and also wanted to get Noah to Perth.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The six-day wait highlights pressure on the RFDS and regional retrieval services, where aircraft must be triaged between competing urgent cases.
- For patients like Noah, delays mean extended pain, a prolonged hospital stay and a slower recovery from an injury that would be treated quickly in Perth.
- The case underscores the persistent gap in healthcare access between the city and the regions — a recurring issue for Western Australia's remote communities.
Background
The RFDS is Australia's primary aeromedical service, providing emergency and non-emergency patient transfers across vast distances for rural and remote communities. For serious injuries in the Pilbara, where specialist orthopaedic surgery is not available locally, transfer to Perth is the standard pathway. When demand spikes or aircraft become unavailable, patients can be left waiting while crews are prioritised to the most time-critical cases. Karratha is roughly 1,500 kilometres from Perth, making road transfer impractical for a patient who cannot bend or lower his leg.
Key Perspectives
The family: Kayla Ross says the wait is prolonging her son's pain and recovery, and that the surgery would already be complete if the accident had happened in Perth. She praises the care at Karratha Hospital but wants a clear timeline for the transfer.
WA Country Health Service: WACHS says demand for transfers is unusually high and aircraft must be sent to the most urgent patients. It assesses the five patients awaiting retrieval in Karratha as stable and clinically appropriate to continue receiving local care.
Regional communities: The case highlights a broader concern — for those living outside safe driving distance of Perth, the RFDS is the only lifeline, and when capacity is stretched, even serious injuries can face long waits.
What to Watch
- Confirmation of when Noah will be transferred to Perth for surgery.
- Whether the RFDS backlog in Karratha clears as aircraft availability recovers after the breakdown.
- Any update from WACHS on retrieval demand and whether the five patients awaiting transfer are flown out.