Ni-Vanuatu, Harriet Rini describes graduating with a Masters in Health Services Management from UTS as, “not just a personal achievement but an achievement for the whole family, and my extended family too”. While studying her Masters in Sydney, thanks to a DFAT funded scholarship, she spent time as an intern with the WHO CC UTS.
Ni-Vanuatu, Harriett RINI #Vanuatu completes her #masters @UTS_Health so proud look forward to connected with team back at #VCNE thank you @dfat for support working towards quality education with great local leaders.
@WHO @NursingNow2020 @ColinTukuitonga
- WHO CC UTS Twitter
In October 2019, she was one of 35 women chosen to complete the DFAT funded, Women’s Leadership Initiative, aimed at building participant’s capability and confidence to exercise developmental leadership, institute change in their own countries and, in the long term, contribute to sustainable development outcomes for the Pacific.
Instituting change is something that is close to Harriet’s heart. After witnessing many amputations in a hospital system struggling to deal with the growing burden of often-preventable NCDs, she and her husband were inspired to set up a private health clinic in a suburb of Port Vila. Called Omega, after the Book of Revelations’ reference to God being, ‘the beginning and end of all things’, the clinic was established in 2015.
In the public health system, Harriet explains, there is rarely an opportunity for nurses to spend time with each patient, to listen to their story and establish a relationship. In her clinic, Harriet explains, that is exactly what we aim to do. Broadening the idea of quality health care means focusing on the whole person and in the process of that, providing information around prevention, rather than just treating a disease once it has progressed.
While they struggle to finance clinic and getting new staff on pay roll is hard and complicated, Harriet says that her trust in the vision for Omega is driven by her trust that it will, one day, be sustainable. Her mentor, Vanuatu-based Australian, Jane Leycock, has also been a faithful supporter who provided the business license for Omega.
For Harriet it was always a childhood dream to teach nursing and prior to doing her Masters, she worked as a nursing tutor in the Vanuatu College Nursing Education (VCNE). After some years there, she became frustrated at not being able to further her education, as there are very few opportunities for continuing professional development in the Pacific (Thiessen & Rumsey 2018) so she worked hard and received a scholarship to study her Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Waikato in New Zealand.
Harriet’s passion for inspiring change is palpable when she says, “If you’re going to be a role model for other people, then you’ve got to live it. You can’t just sit there and tell people what to do”.