Dr Richard Harms is a South African medical doctor with a broad clinical background spanning remote and resource-limited environments, emergency medicine, community health, and medical education. Graduating from the University of the Free State in 2018, he has since built a career defined by adaptability, hands-on leadership, and a genuine commitment to patient-centred care. His experience in remote and austere medicine is extensive. As Senior Ship's Doctor with the Royal Caribbean Group, he led shipboard medical departments across international waters — managing acute emergencies, coordinating multidisciplinary teams, and delivering high-quality care with limited resources far from tertiary support. This was complemented by a Conservation Medicine course presented by World Extreme Medicine in Namibia, deepening his skills in wilderness and expedition medicine.
At RES Healthcare, Richard forms part of the medical team supporting operations and community health initiatives across Angola and South Africa. Through the Impilo Project, he recruits, trains, and supervises community healthcare workers (CHWs), building grassroots screening programmes focused on NCDs, HIV/TB awareness, and preventative care — with strong linkage to local clinics to ensure continuity. His approach centres on empowering communities and local health workers rather than creating dependency, aligning closely with RES Healthcare's vision of sustainable, African-led healthcare solutions.
He also provides travel medicine consultations, holding a certified qualification in Travel Medicine to support preventative care and patient education for those working and travelling in challenging environments.
Richard brings a passion for teaching, having lectured in the Family Medicine department at UCT's Faculty of Health Sciences. His certifications include ACLS, PALS, ITLS, and BLS — ensuring he is equipped to respond to the full spectrum of emergencies wherever he is deployed. Whether managing an emergency at sea, running a community health outreach in rural Angola, or mentoring the next generation of healthcare workers, Richard brings the same energy: calm under pressure, curious, and always focused on the person in front of him.