Champion Of Mental Health And Compassionate Care Receives GP Award

Dr Graeme Kidd of Howick, Auckland has been awarded a Community Service Medal by The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners for his commitment to compassionate medicine.

Dr Kidd has worked as a full-time GP for 42 years, practicing GP obstetrics for 20 of those years, providing true ‘cradle to grave’ service for many families.

Since 1998 he has also been involved with hospice, having taken a deep interest in palliative care, and in doing so he strives to empower people to live with their terminal illness and maximise their quality of life.

College President Dr Samantha Murton says, “Dr Kidd, who is known for his amazing compassion and positivity, is a true representative of what it means to be a GP in New Zealand; he’s at the heart of his community helping his patients live their best lives by adapting medicine and best practice to suit the way they live.”

Dr Kidd also has a strong commitment to mental health and does a lot of work with how emotional wellbeing affects physical health. His use of conventional and complimentary therapies has helped patients understand their illness and enabled them to self-manage their own health trajectories.

This medal would traditionally be awarded in a special ceremony at the College’s annual conference. However, this year the conference and ceremony were cancelled because of COVID-19. The College’s 2020 award winners will be formally recognised during the 2021 College conference.

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