Dr Daniel Nour – Young Australian of the Year 2022
ABC report by Charlotte Gore
Doctor who founded a mobile medical service for the homeless named Young Australian of the Year
Daniel Nour was in his final year of his medical degree in London when he saw a man having a seizure at a train station. He stopped and helped the man, and later discovered he was homeless.
Dr Nour said the moment was a turning point for him, as he realised the gap in medical support for people experiencing homelessness and decided to do something about it.
He returned to Australia, and in 2020 he started Street Side Medics, a not-for-profit GP-led mobile medical service for vulnerable people in New South Wales.
Street Side Medics now has 145 volunteers and four clinics across New South Wales, and has changed the lives of more than 300 patients by dealing with neglected medical needs and detecting conditions that would have otherwise gone unnoticed, such as cancer, HIV, diabetes, and heart disease.
“With his leadership and social consciousness, Daniel is committed to making a real difference to the lives of many Australians. He’s also making significant improvements to society,” the Australian of the Year awards panel said in a statement.
Despite working full time at the Royal North Shore Hospital, Dr Nour volunteers his afternoons to ensure the four Street Side Medics sites run smoothly.
Chair of the National Australia Day Council, Danielle Roche OAM, said Dr Nour’s work had helped ensure vulnerable people can receive medical care.
“Dr Daniel Nour and Street Side Medics work to make sure no Australian gets left behind, providing vital medical care and lifesaving treatment to those experiencing homelessness and who might otherwise fall through the cracks,” she said.
In accepting his award, Dr Nour said many Australians living in homelessness were “suffering in silence”.
“Many die of conditions which could be treated and avoid interventions which could have improved quality of life,” he said.
“I have seen 50-year-olds like Peter die of heart failure, struggling for a breath in the cold night air. I have seen people like 40-year-old Eddie, who’s living with maggots in his wounds. I have seen people like Neil, a 29-year-old type 1 diabetic who is suffering from irreparable damage due to being unable to afford his insulin.
“As Australians, it’s our responsibility to advocate for those who seem to have lost their voice and to rise up to the occasion, even when we question our own ability to do so. “