LONGREACH GP John Douyere has been recognised for his ingenuity as much as his outstanding commitment to healthcare in the central west by his rural doctor peers in Queensland .
Dr Douyere was presented with the ‘Legend of the Bush’ award at the Rural Doctors Association of Queensland’s annual conference in Caloundra at the weekend.
Dr Douyere grew up in Brisbane, attended Everton Park State High School and graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery from University of Queensland in 1989.
He established the Longreach Family Medical Practice 20 years ago after junior doctor stints in Toowoomba and Kilcoy.
He paid tribute to his colleagues both in private practice and at the Longreach Hospital.
“What we’ve been able to achieve in Longreach is a clinical team of highly competent rural practitioners who can provide the medical services for that community,” Dr Douyere said .
“I’m one cog in that wheel. There are many people who are working together to achieve this.”
Apart from anaesthetics and obstetrics, Dr Douyere has skills in advanced skin surgery, vasectomies, internal medicine and all aspects of emergency care.
He’s also developed a happy knack for combining his medical skills with his passion for tinkering with classic cars.
Recently when a patient trapped her finger in farm equipment, he sent the patient’s husband down to the hardware store to buy a specific type of tiny metal cutter, which he then used to remove the blades and free the injured digit.
“I subscribe to the concept of ‘clinical courage’, which is a very mature method of approaching challenging clinical situations,” he said.
“It’s where you use all the tools in your tool kit to deal with the situation in front of you, even if that’s not perfectly ideal.”
Outgoing RDAQ president Dr Tash Coventry, Cooktown said Dr Douyere had been a role model and teacher to generations of junior doctors and an ambassador for rural general practice.