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RDN gains First Nations and remote community insights in Canada
14th April 2025
Rural Doctors Network’s (RDN) had an extraordinary opportunity to participate in a rural health knowledge exchange and site visits in British Columbia (BC), Canada recently, in an effort to foster further collaboration and enhance solidarity and knowledge exchange.
RDN CEO, Richard Colbran joined RDN Chair, Professor Peter O’Mara and Dr Kirsty Jennings from the University of Newcastle, who were exploring opportunities for an Indigenous health leadership program visit to BC.
During the trip, Professor O’Mara, a Wiradjuri man and rural GP, joined a small health team visiting a remote Canadian First Nations community for a day clinic and the group attended the annual BC Indigenous Medical Education Gathering (IMEG) as well as multiple rural clinic and hospital visits during their stay.
“We were especially privileged to spend time with First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo and Grand Chief Doug Kelly, and to visit the traditional lands of Nadleh Whut'en First Nation, hosted by Chief Beverley Ketlo, including a tour of the First Nations Health Center.” said Professor O’Mara.
“The opportunity to visit a remote First Nations community for a day clinic and our attendance at the annual BC Indigenous Medical Education Gathering (IMEG) was very enlightening and highlighted some of the similarities of the healthcare challenges faced in Canada and in Australia, and reinforced for us the value of solidarity between rural and Indigenous communities around the world.”
Hosted by the Rural Coordination Centre of British Columbia (RCCbc), the Australian delegation participated in a host of meetings and workshops with health groups and government in Vancouver before travelling more than 1,500km for site visits across rural and remote BC in townships such as Kamloops, Valemount, Prince George, Vanderhoof and Burns Lake.
The group held knowledge mobilisation discussions and innovation workshops with RCCbc, presented to the British Columbia Joint Standing Committee for Health (held at Victoria, the BC Capital), and held meetings with Deans of Medicine for BC’s two medical programs - University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University, plus VC of University of Victoria which has just established a health faculty (just to name a few).
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