“飛行醫生”是澳大利亞醫療制度的一大特色。由于澳大利亞是一個面積廣闊，人口稀少的國家，政府專門設立了遠程醫療服務體系，對住在邊遠地區的孤立居民點和家庭，借助高科技的通訊手段和先進的交通工具提供空中醫療服務。然而由于肥胖癥患者的日益增加，他們發現需要為“飛行醫生”和患者準備更大的飛機了。

Increasing obesity has prompted an Australian state to seek larger planes for the country's famous "Flying Doctor" service, ambulance and government officials said Saturday.

New South Wales state has just put out a tender to assess the cost of obtaining two larger new planes for its air ambulance fleet, which is flown under contract by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to service remote and rural areas.

Recent global surveys have repeatedly highlighted Australians as among the most obese people in the world, despite the country's association with an active, healthy lifestyle and love of sport.

The two new planes would be able to carry patients up to 260 kg (573 lb), nearly twice the current limit of 140 kg (308 lb), a spokeswoman for the state's health ministry told Reuters.

"The ambulance service has obviously seen a need," the spokeswoman said.

A New South Wales ambulance service spokeswoman said it followed similar moves by other parts of the service, including ground ambulances and helicopters, to accommodate larger patients.

Asked if the move was prompted by increasing levels of obesity, she told the repoters: "Essentially, yes."

(Agencies)

Royal Flying Doctor Service: 皇家飛行醫生服務隊。它是澳大利亞一個獨特的組織。1928年，由澳大利亞基督教長老會的牧師約翰·弗林所創立。它在每天24小時和一年365天內都通過航空提供緊急醫療和保健服務。服務的對象是在澳大利亞偏僻內地居住、工作和旅行的人們。飛行醫生服務隊平均一年接觸183,000個病人，其中17000人被空運到其它醫院去治療。該服務隊共有17個醫療基地和38架飛機在它所管的715萬平方公里的“領空”上飛行，平均每年約飛行1200萬公里。飛行醫生服務隊用飛機對病人進行急救的工作獲得人們的普遍贊揚。服務隊在繼續為偏遠地區人民的基本保健發揮作用的同時，每年還在5000所保健衛生站工作，治療患者約有117000人。此外，飛行醫生服務隊的大夫和護士們還通過無線電和電話為居住在邊遠村落的人們提供咨詢服務，這在服務隊的工作中也占很大比重。飛行醫生服務隊平均每年約需4300萬澳元的開支。它得到聯邦、州和地方政府的經濟支持，同時也依靠工商界和公眾的贊助。

（實習生許雅寧，英語點津編輯）