Live and let die… palliative care in the community setting

Anette Fosse is a GP practicing in Mo i Rana, a small town in the middle of Norway, and a contributor to professional development work and medical research in nursing homes.

Above all, she is a highly respected voice in the Norwegian public debate concerning several aspects of health care locally, regionally, and nationally. During the years, she has been called to attend a variety of boards, committees, and working groups. This is due to her ability to identify structural shortcomings in general, and local needs in particular, Anette Fosse’s professional and political engagement is guided by principles anchored in solidarity, honesty, and integrity.

In 2003, Anette Fosse fully demonstrated her civil courage. Being a member of the Editorial Board of The Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association and elected member of the Board of The Norwegian Medical Association, she left the Board in protest because of the way the Board dismissed the Medical Association's general secretary. Contradicting the Board’s self-imposed secrecy, Anette Fosse informed the General Assembly and the public about the questionable process. “An open and viable Medical Association is important to me, which only can be achieved through openness and dialogue,” she said to the media. Her courage, integrity and insight when it comes to health care systems has been rewarded by colleagues (eg. The Dandelion price 2003, The doctor of the year in Nordland 2008). She won

the prizes also for being a co-writer of critical appeals concerning future hospital structure and governance. And still she is a favourite when the Ministry of Health and Care Services is in need of an expert close to practice. Her latest appointment (2011) is as a member of The Norwegian Council for Quality Improvement and Priority Setting in Health Care: "First and foremost, the Council shall secure a comprehensive national approach to the work on quality and prioritisation."

Last but not least, Anette Fosse has contributed to the Norwegian Textbook in General Practice as a writer (1. ed. 1997) and as a member of the Editorial Committee for the Revised Textbook in General Practice (2003). We look forward to her plenary address in Tromsø.

Photo from www.regjeringen.no, The Ministry of Health and Care services