Latest news with #WONCA
Scoop
04-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
New Zealand To Host Global Rural Health Event; Leaders Spurred To Act
Warning: This article discusses suicide The rural healthcare sector is telling the government that the way New Zealand addresses health inequalities for rural and indigenous Māori patients will be under global scrutiny next year. New Zealand will host the World Organisation of Family Doctors' (WONCA) World Rural Health Conference in Wellington in 2026. The upcoming global event was front of mind for Hauora Taiwhenua (the Rural Health Network) at its National Rural Health Conference held in Christchurch this week. More than 530 people including rural nurses, doctors and students were at the Te Pae Convention Centre in Ōtautahi on Friday to cover a range of topics and news for the sector. Around one in five New Zealanders live in rural or remote areas, and these patients generally face greater barriers to accessing healthcare than their urban-dwelling counterparts. Hauora Taiwhenua represented more than 1800 people across the rural health and well-being, covering rural hospitals, science and research, nurses, general practitioners, and more. Network chair Dr Fiona Bolden said there were common barriers and solutions to rural healthcare globally, and the 21st annual world rural health conference would be a chance to delve into them. "This is our chance to showcase our values and mahi on the world stage and have input from our global rural health whānau around solutions," Dr Bolden said. "The eyes of the world will be upon the rural health teams of Aotearoa New Zealand and upon our government to see how it supports the health of its rural communities, particularly the most vulnerable." Dr Bolden said there would be a particular focus on culturally appropriate care with the theme, whānau ora integrating mātauranga, Māori indigenous knowledge with rural health for a thriving future. The event would also land in the year of the next general election in New Zealand, she said. Calls for greater maternal mental health for wāhine Dr Carlton Irving of Te Whakatōhea, Te Ūpokorehe was the chief clinical officer at the now-disestablished Te Aka Whai Ora Māori Health Authority - and was now the director of Māori health and consumer at Te Tāhū Hauora, the Health Quality & Safety Commission New Zealand. Dr Irving spoke at the National Rural Health Conference on Friday, exploring the vital role of Māori health leadership in Aotearoa and ways to empower rural communities. He said inequalities in healthcare delivery were "avoidable and unjust", and while Māori were not homogeneous, they were "overwhelmingly vulnerable" compared to any other group in New Zealand society. He wanted to see greater mental health supports for wāhine during maternity care in particular. "Wāhine Māori are twice as likely to die during pregnancy than Pākeha. This hasn't changed in 15 years... Things need to change," he said. "Overwhelmingly, suicide is the leading cause. Forty percent of the deaths are from suicide. "So where is targeted maternal mental health?" Dr Irving said fewer maternity services were available rurally deepened by the recent closure of rural birthing units, and the workforce too was beyond crisis point. "We've got a workforce crisis with somewhere around 40 percent of national midwifery vacancies at the moment. It was a crisis probably at 20 percent. "We've systemically under-invested in rural midwifery, and it's led to a dearth of services, putting too much work on not enough people to cover too bigger an area. "The model is broken." Government 'acutely aware' of healthcare issues - Associate Health Minister In July 2023, the Ministry of Health released its rural health strategy, the first of its kind, setting the direction for improving the health and well-being of rural communities over the next decade. It aimed to improve access to healthcare, to better value the workforce and support it to meet the needs of rural communities. Associate Health Minister responsible for rural health Matt Doocey - also the Minister for Mental Health - spoke at the event in Christchurch on Friday. He said the government was working to improve the reporting and collecting of data for rural patients to set targets and inform the work stream. "Currently, there is a considerable variation in rural health and hospital services across the country," Doocey said. "We know that for services to be safe, sustainable and impactful, there are minimum service components that are required." He said Health New Zealand was developing a rural health services framework to address that. "The framework is intended to set out Health New Zealand's approach to delivering more consistent and sustainable health services for our rural communities." Doocey said targets were "not everything" but they put a line in the sand towards achieving goals and bringing accountability. "This government is acutely aware of the issues around healthcare. I think having a health minister and associate ministers with clear delegations that we can be then held to account. "We've put out the first mental health and addiction targets in New Zealand that ultimately says hold us to account because now you can see the data and if we're not delivering to those targets, then you'll have your say." Doocey said the government was making progress on a rural training hub, choosing a site this month. It followed an announcement this week that Taupō Hospital was the first North Island hospital to be accredited to deliver Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine training. Doocey will be touring the country for the rural health roadshow nationwide in the coming months that started in April and will run into October. The final day of the National Rural Health conference will discuss topics including the threat of climate change to rural health and wellbeing, collaborative approaches to rural health equity and retaining the Māori health workforce, in Christchurch on Saturday. Where to get help: Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357 Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO. This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 or text 4202 Samaritans: 0800 726 666 Youthline: 0800 376 633 or text 234 or email talk@ What's Up: 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787. This is free counselling for 5 to 19-year-olds Asian Family Services: 0800 862 342 or text 832. Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, and English. Rural Support Trust Helpline: 0800 787 254 Healthline: 0800 611 116 Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155 OUTLine: 0800 688 5463 Aoake te Rā bereaved by suicide service: or call 0800 000 053 If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
Scoop
29-04-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Hauora Taiwhenua Wins 21st WONCA World Rural Health Conference
Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network will host the 21st WONCA (World Organisation of Family Doctors) World Rural Health Conference in 2026. The successful conference bid was led by Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network with support from its Te Tiriti partners Te Rōpū Ārahi. Effective advocacy from Business Events Wellington and Tourism New Zealand Business Events, and endorsement from the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners, General Practice New Zealand, the College of Nurses Aotearoa, the Mayor of Wellington and government ministries, led to a winning proposal. Toby Beaglehole, Chief Executive of the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners said 'That as full members of WONCA, we were very happy to endorse Hauora Taiwhenua's bid to host the Rural WONCA 2026 Conference and believe that their dedication, expertise, and vision make them the ideal candidate for hosting this prestigious event here in Wellington.' Hauora Taiwhenua's bid was chosen over strong international competition, thanks to its focus on indigenous health frameworks, community-led health initiatives, and New Zealand's demonstrated commitment to rural health equity. Fiona Bolden, Chairperson of Hauora Taiwhenua, says: 'Hosting Rural WONCA 2026 in Wellington provides an unparalleled platform to highlight the innovative and community-driven strategies we've developed to support rural and Indigenous health. We will be working closely with our rural Māori members and health colleagues to share our success stories and extend this opportunity to our rural health peers across the South Pacific and other first nations peoples around the world, to join these conversations and learning opportunities; it's about fostering global conversations that drive equity and inclusivity in healthcare systems worldwide.' The relevance of this conference to New Zealand has never been greater, Bolden says, with increasing recognition of health disparities and the urgent need for culturally responsive care. The country's commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles and the UN Sustainability Development Goals will provide robust conversations on shared learnings. Wellington, New Zealand's vibrant capital, was selected for its dynamic blend of cultural diversity, strong health sector partnerships, and its status as the political and healthcare hub of the country. Professor Alan Bruce Chater, Chair, Rural Wonca (Wonca Working Party on Rural Practice) tells us that 'Hosting the Rural Health Conference in New Zealand is a significant opportunity to enhance communication and networking among rural health professionals globally and importantly in New Zealand. With New Zealand coming into an election year and with Te Pae Rural Health Strategy in review the conference will be a valuable time to reset, foster collaborative thinking and share learnings'. This is the first time the global rural health conference for family doctors has been hosted by New Zealand, and we are very proud to be able to provide this unbeatable opportunity to our rural health community. The Conference runs from 10-13 April 2026, at Tākina, Wellington, New Zealand.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ping An Health Releases 2024 ESG Report
Driving Sustainable Healthcare with "CARE" Strategy HONG KONG and SHANGHAI, March 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Ping An Healthcare and Technology Company Limited ("Ping An Good Doctor", "Ping An Health" or "the Company", Stock Code: recently released its 2024 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report, outlining the Company's CARE sustainability strategy built on the pillars of Comprehensive Sustainability, Advanced Technology Empowerment, Robust Information Security Protection, and Extensive Social Responsibility. Guided by the principle of "Technology for Humanity, Healthcare with Warmth," Ping An Health aims to be a leading, trusted provider of healthcare and elderly care services, driving high-quality, sustainable development in the industry. Comprehensive Sustainability Ping An Health has deeply integrated the sustainable development concept into its enterprise strategy and daily operations, establishing a three-level governance structure for sustainable development from the decision-making level to the execution level. This structure ensures the effective implementation of sustainable development goals. The Company's "Sustainable Development Strategy, Goals, and Action Plan" provides a framework for regularly tracking progress. To further strengthen medical quality control, Ping An Health has established the Pharmaceutical Quality and Safety Management Committee, under which the Medical Quality and Safety Management Task. Medical service quality, which has covered 100% of employees, ensures the efficient and effective management of pharmaceutical quality and safety. Ping An Health is committed to delivering exceptional service and setting new industry benchmarks. In 2024, Ping An Family Doctor successfully obtained the dual certification of the Digital Health Certification (DHC) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Training Program from the World Organization of Family Doctors (hereinafter referred to as "WONCA"), becoming the first medical health and elderly care service enterprise in the world to have the dual certification of WONCA. The WONCA certification is an authoritative certification in the field of global family medicine, and its certification standards are consistent with the guidelines of WHO, which is internationally authoritative. Furthermore, Ping An Family Doctor's service standards and telemedicine management communications are certified by the General Practice Branch of Chinese Medical Association and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). Advanced Technology Empowerment Amidst the wave of digital transformation, Ping An Health is pioneering innovative business models and breakthroughs in artificial intelligence to create a comprehensive smart medical service system, injecting new momentum into the industry's high-quality development. In 2024, the Company officially launched its self-developed large multi-modal model Ping An Medical Master. Built on hundreds of billions of parameters, this model powers Ping An Doctor's Home, an intelligent doctor's workstation comprising 12 AI subsystems. Data shows that the system achieves a Class A rate for electronic medical records of 99.8% and the accuracy rate for medication compliance reached 100%, contributing to a closed-loop health management system covering prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Furthermore, the Company launched Ping An Xin Yi, an AI-assisted expert health consultation service, providing 24/7 AI-assisted health consultations. Looking ahead, the Company will continuously advance the process of improving medical service access and creating health records for Ping An Group's 240 million retail financial customers. Moreover, the Company will fully leverage its unique advantage in closed-loop health care and insurance data to accelerate the application of large AI models in scenarios including multidisciplinary team (MDT) consultations on complex diseases. Robust Information Security Protection Data security and privacy protection are critical foundations for Ping An Health's sustainable development. In 2024, Ping An Health obtained multiple information security management system certifications, including ISO 27001 information security management system certification, ISO 27701 privacy information management system certification, ISO 27799 personal medical health information security management system certification, covering 100% of the Company's business. The Company also continues to focus on building fundamental information security capabilities. It replaced its web application firewall (WAF) system with a domestically developed solution and further enhanced the extended detection and response (XDR) platform, which increased the alarm detection effectiveness of our original commercial products by 35%. Furthermore, Ping An Health conducts regular information security emergency drills and employee security awareness training to ensure effective data security and user privacy protection. During the reporting period, the Company conducted a total of nine information security emergency response activities, including the 2024 National Network Protection Practical Attack and Defense Exercise, and two external audits of its information security policies and systems. Extensive Social Responsibility Ping An Health has always adhered to the development vision of "providing every enterprise with a harmonious workplace, every family with a dedicated doctor, and every user with a safe and healthy life", actively fulfilling its social responsibility. The Company is committed to empowering national health through inclusive healthcare initiatives. In 2024, Ping An Health launched the "Yilu Jianxing" national health literacy promotion action, reaching communities, insurance companies, and enterprises with over 40 expert-led science popularization live broadcasts and 29 health education and medical public welfare activities. Furthermore, Ping An Health enhances the accessibility and affordability of medical services by providing remote healthcare options. "Looking ahead, Ping An Health will continue to be guided by its CARE sustainability strategy, deepening technological empowerment, strengthening data security, and fulfilling its social responsibility to promote the high-quality development of the healthcare industry," says Li Dou, Chairman and CEO of Ping An Health. "We believe that by systematically building a sustainable development ecosystem, Ping An Health will contribute even more to achieving the 'Healthy China' strategic goal." View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Ping An Healthcare and Technology Company Limited Sign in to access your portfolio
