The challenges of rural family physician program in Iran: a discourse analysis of the introduction to criticizing power imbalance between rural health and mainstream urban health

Abstract Compared with many metropolitan residents, Iranians living in rural areas have a poorer health status partly due to the inequitable access healthcare services. However, despite policy efforts ameliorate disparities, gap between and urban residents is growing wider according several published studies. Among fundamental causes of these dominant discourses play critical role. This paper seeks unpack relations power operated by socio-politically constructed around health-promoting interventions, including Family Physician Program (FPP). We adopted Foucauldian Discourse Analysis (FDA) examine how well-intentioned advance equity may unintentionally maintain discourse practices that reinforce inequity. followed analytic steps, outlined Carabine, for distinguishing order select analyze 25 documents, 31 interviews, 21 observations. The analysis revealed three interconnected supporting roles opposition putative role designed program: FPP achieve government’s ideological purposes about justice equality (the deficits), align urban-oriented medical curriculum career disadvantages) represent discipline perceptions communities inferiority). These oppositional constructions can hinder proper functioning this policy, usually favor claims on space.