Rural Heroes Project 2015

Working Party News February 2015

January, 2015

- a WONCA Working Party on Rural Practice initiative

There is at least one in every country: a rural provider who has inspired others, through service, through leadership, through advocacy. They may be the founders of rural health organisations, or humble provider whose life and work was an inspiration to others.

The WONCA Working Party on Rural Practice (WWPRP) would like to provide a platform to celebrate rural health providers who led the way in providing health care to rural communities across the globe.

The WONCA World Rural Health conference coming to Dubrovnik, in April 2015, will see the start of this celebration of excellence.

The WWPRP would like the rural branch of each WONCA Member Organisation across the world to identify at least one and a maximum of two rural doctors whose biography can be added to the “rural heroes” project.

Who should be nominated?

The Rural Heroes Project offers an opportunity for member organisations to tell the story of their rural hero they may be a family doctor, public health doctor, or another health professional. It offers an opportunity to highlight their life work, and any research, publications or other writing that the provider has been involved in.

Criteria – the Five Star doctor

When choosing the nominated hero, member organisations are asked to consider the five criteria used by WONCA’s award of Excellence in Health Care called the Five Star Doctor Award:

* a CARE PROVIDER
who considers the patient as an integral part of a family and the community and provides a high standard of clinical care, excluding or diagnosing serious illness and injury, managing chronic disease and disability and provides personalised preventive care whilst building a trusting patient- doctor relationship.

* a DECISION MAKER
who chooses which technologies to apply ethically and cost-effectively while enhancing the care that he or she provides.

* a COMMUNICATOR
who is able to promote healthy life-styles by emphatic explanation, thereby empowering individuals and groups to enhance and protect their health.

* a COMMUNITY LEADER
who has won the trust of the people among whom he or she works, who can reconcile individual and community health requirements and initiate action on behalf of the community.

* a TEAM MEMBER
who can work harmoniously with individuals and organisations, within and outside the health care system, to meet his or her patients and community's needs.

How to nominate?

Complete the Rural Hero submission template and provide one or two pictures of the chosen hero, their place of work, or other relevant pictures. The template will allow online submission.

An example, Dr Peter Snow, from New Zealand can be found here.

What becomes of submissions?

Member organisations will then see their heroes included in a permanent significant celebration of rural healthcare internationally.

Information provided to the Working Party will be reviewed and edited and developed into digital posters that will be displayed publicly during WONCA Rural Conferences. Information will be uploaded to a web based resource provided through the WONCA website.

The WWPRP will be seeking space at each WONCA World conference to display “rural heroes” and celebrate these “5 Star” doctors.