From politics to PRIME and honours to humour

From politics to PRIME and honours to humour – NZRGPN conference has it all There’s a lot to get excited about at this month’s New Zealand Rural General Practice Network conference in Christchurch. Scheduled for March 11-14 at the Christchurch Convention Centre, the event is touted as New Zealand’s premiere rural health conference, featuring political, practical and educational sessions; the presentation of awards and scholarships, as well as social and networking forums, and trade and exhibition stands. Health Minister Tony Ryall will again take centre stage at the political forum set down for Friday, March 12 starting at 10.30am. Entitled “Politically Wired” delegates will have the opportunity to hear the Minister talk on health topics relevant to the rural sector and then have the chance to put some pressing questions to him. The session will again be beamed out live to several sites around the country courtesy of Mobile Surgical Services. People unable to make it to conference can also follow proceedings via WebEx, which allows people in remote sites to view the session via their computer or laptop and text a question to the session’s chairperson. This too comes courtesy of Mobile Surgical Services. Temuka-based nurse practitioner Sharon Hansen will present the opening 20-minute keynote session on changes in her local practice focussed on the team-based approach. Sharon’s session will look at how her practice plans to change general practice in the township. Concurrent sessions include Wilderness Medicine, Acupuncture in pain treatment, Changes facing GPs in 2010, Challenges of pain prescription, and Professional issues in nursing, to name a few. The face of Pharmac’s One Heart Many Lives Programme, Tamati Davis, will be on-hand to tell his intriguing story of his return from the brink of death caused through obesity. Tamati lost more than 110kgs in his quest to stay alive. Medical students make a welcome return with their not-to-be-missed and always entertaining presentation. Pre- and post-conference workshops include rural hospital teaching, rural GP teaching, employment and ultrasound. On-hand to relieve the seriousness of the conference will be the inimitable Joe Bennett - author, columnist and raconteur. Joe says he will “address matters of topical interest that are unlikely to be of any practical use to doctors, rural or otherwise, and that may include, but are by no means limited to, the infantilisation of society, how to smoke on aeroplanes, the rise of asthma, the demonisation of fat, jogging, golf, television chefs, Facebook and other crimes against humanity”. Awards presentations will focus on the Peter Snow Award and the launch of the Pat Farry Rural Health Education Trust. The Peter Snow Award was set up to honour the life and work of Dr Peter Snow who passed away in March 2006. Dr Snow was a rural general practitioner based in Tapanui. Queenstown-based Dr Pat Farry was a founding Member of the Network, educator and fierce advocate for rural general practice, who died suddenly, last October aged 65. The trust and scholarship have been established in his honour. ENDS

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