Welcome to Rocketship
Rocketship Pacific is an international health non-profit organisation, based in Australia, dedicated to improving health in Pacific Island countries through stronger medical education in primary care.
Remote Opportunities for Clinical Knowledge, Education, Training, and Support for Health In the Pacific
Our Vision
Our Vision
Healthy communities across the Pacific.
Our Mission
Our Mission
To share skills and work in partnership to achieve strong, sustainable primary healthcare systems in Pacific island countries.
Our Values
Our Values
Partnership
Learning
Excellence
Equity
Where we work
What we do
Professional Development
One of the main pillars of strong and sustainable health systems is an appropriately trained workforce that is motivated and supported. Drawing on the experience from within Rocketship, and the expertise across our network of volunteers, we work in partnership with key stakeholders to build the knowledge and skills of healthcare professionals in the Pacific, with an emphasis on primary care and rural communities.
This training is delivered both on-site and remotely, through a combination of clinical teaching visits, courses (e.g., Advanced Life Support), mentorship, peer-to- peer education and continuing professional development. A particular focus for Rocketship in recent years has been assisting with setting up and running postgraduate specialty training programmes in family, community, and rural hospital medicine. Our work in this space to date has included pioneering programmes in Fiji, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga and Vanuatu.
Research
We believe evidence is key to implementing effective health programmes and policies. We are proud to participate in research that improves the health and well-being of communities across the Pacific, and that helps build the research capacity in the countries where we work.
In collaboration with regional institutions and other academic partners, research conducted by the Rocketship team has covered multiple topics of crucial importance to the Pacific islands and global health, including medical workforce development, climate change and antimicrobial resistance. A recent publication led by Rocketship on the rural health workforce revolution in the Pacific region can be found here.
POLICY & ADOCACY
The World Health Organization (WHO) clearly states: ‘Primary health care is widely regarded as the most inclusive, equitable and cost-effective way to achieve universal health coverage. It is also key to strengthening the resilience of health systems to prepare for, respond to and recover from shocks and crises.’ In the Pacific, the ‘Healthy Islands vision’ has been the region’s key health policy since the mid-1990s, based on fundamental primary health care principles and a uniquely Pacific spirit.
However, an enormous amount of work remains to be done to strengthen primary health care in the region to improve the health and well-being of Pacific island people. Rocketship is a proud partner in this endeavour, as we work in partnership with Ministries of Health, donors and regional actors to advocate for evidence-based policy change to enable better health for all across the Blue Continent.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Rocketship’s team have been involved in small-scale community development initiatives in the Pacific region for over fifteen years. With a focus on community leadership and sustainability, our partnerships and investments address the fundamental determinants of health and well-being.
In the village of Bene on the island of Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu, for example, we have worked to improve access to safe water (building wells and rainwater tanks); food (supporting traditional agricultural practices for taro and cassava); shelter (constructing disaster-resilient structures using locally sourced materials); energy (installing solar panels); education (building a school and establishing a trust fund to ensure all the community’s children are able to complete primary school); and micro- enterprise (helping community members establish small businesses to provide sources of employment and income).
SUPPORT MEDICAL EDUCATION IN THE PACIFIC
Your support and contributions will enable us to meet our goals and help achieve universal health care across the Pacific through health and medical education.
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