The Health Professional Award to the person who has set a helpful precedent for the international right-to-die movement
The WF meeting in Dublin rounded off with a wonderful gala dinner where individuals who had made a great contribution to the right to die movement were honoured. Dr Rob Jonquière received the Health Care Professionals award. In presenting this to him Federation President, Asun Alvarez commented
“8 nominations were received. The deliberations in the Committee resulted in the following health professional to be awarded:
Graduated at Leiden University as Medical Doctor, he has his own practice as General Practitioner in Hengelo, where one of his activities was to guide people when they were dying. He trained himself in the necessary skills and attitudes, amongst others by attending a workshop with Cecily Saunders of St Christophers Hospice in London. He became involved in requests for “help to die”, because patients were afraid for an undignified final hour. He was involved in a number of requests for (then illegal) termination of life from his patients.
He was later Head of General Practitioner Vocational training in Amsterdam and Leiden. He was involved in the professionalisation of the role of General Practitioner.
He was Director at the Mental health Department for the elderly in Leiden and was responsible for the integration of different services in a Centre for Psychiatry for the Elderly
From 1999 to 2008 he was the Executive director of NVVE: Dutch Right to Die Society, being involved in the discussions around Dutch legalisation and implementation after 2002.
Since his retirement from the Dutch Society, he has have given presentations on the Dutch experience(s) all around Europe and the world: UK, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Tsjechie (Chequia), Japan, Mexico and the USA. He has been secretary to the board of RtD-Europe and, of course, the Executive Director of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies.
That is why it was decided to honour Dr. Rob Jonquière with the 2024 Health Professional Award.”
The Netherlands