Rural health focus of new Farry trust

A rural education trust in recognition of the late Dr Pat Farry is to be launched at the New Zealand Rural General Practice Network conference in Christchurch next week.

Dr Farry, who died suddenly while on locum duty in Twizel last October, was a tireless campaigner for rural general practice and played a leading role in development of the University of Otago's rural medical immersion programme.

The trust, established by family and friends, will be called The Pat Farry Rural Health Education Trust and will be chaired by his brother John, a Dunedin lawyer.

Its objectives are to support the sustainability and quality of health services to the rural community.

Grants and scholarships will be made to individuals and groups seeking continuing education or undertaking research in rural health.

This could include supporting patient-centred rural community-based health education, encouraging students to pursue a career in rural health practice, improving links between rural general practice, rural hospitals and urban teaching hospitals, supporting recruitment and retention of rural health professionals and helping to further develop the use of technology which allows distance education.

There will also be opportunity for some students to spend time overseas in innovative units with the aim of them returning later to generate ideas in New Zealand.