PROBLEM During China's transition to a market economy in the 1980s and 1990s, the rural population faced substantial barriers to accessing health care and encountered heavier financial burdens than urban residents in paying for necessary health services. APPROACH In 2003, China started to implement a rural cooperative medical scheme (RCMS), mainly through government subsidies. The scheme oper...

conclusions the quality gap in the services provided by maternity units showed that these units are not able to meet pregnant women’s expectations completely. the negative quality gaps can be used as a guideline to improve the maternal health care quality and reduce maternal mortality, particularly in high-risk women such as those living in rural areas. results there was a negative gap in all d...

Background. Many people continue to live with physical disabilities across the globe, especially in rural Africa despite expertise of Physiotherapists and available evidence of effectiveness of Physiotherapy. Objective. To determine the obstacles to obtaining Optimal Physiotherapy services in a rural community in Southeastern Nigeria. Methods. Population-based cross-sectional study of individua...

In Australia, we are facing a period of mental health reform with the establishment of federally funded community youth services in rural areas of the country. These new services have great potential to improve the mental health of rural adolescents. In the context of this new initiative, we have four main objectives with this article. First, we consider the notion of social capital in relation...

INTRODUCTION Globally, pregnancy related complications contribute to more than half of the deaths among women annually. Antenatal care (ANC) is important for the prevention of maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity. This study identifies the socio-demographic and economic characteristics; knowledge and attitude and; health service provision for focused antenatal care (FANC) services. METH...

INTRODUCTION A variety of studies have indicated that rural communities have fewer mental health services and professionals than their urban counterparts. This study will examine the shortages of mental health professionals in rural communities as well as the impact of inadequate mental health services access on rural hospitals. METHODS A sample frame of 1162 rural hospitals was compiled, and...

INTRODUCTION Many people who die by suicide have been in contact with health services prior to their death. This study examined service contacts in people in urban and rural areas of the Scottish Highlands. METHODS Highland residents dying by suicide or undetermined intent in 2001-2004 were identified using routine death records. Health service databases were searched to identify general hosp...

INTRODUCTION Rural healthcare provision is limited in many areas because of workforce recruitment and retention issues. Pharmacists and social workers are examples of allied health professionals who play vital roles in the provision of rural health care. Personal factors including an individual's fit with a local community and their professional role were explored to determine the way they affe...

BACKGROUND Rural residents have poorer oral health and more limited access to dental services than their city counterparts. In rural communities, health care professionals often work in an extended capacity due to the needs of the community and health workforce shortages in these areas. Improved links and greater collaboration between resident rural primary care and dental practitioners could h...

Introduction The scarcity of qualified health workers in rural areas is directly affecting delivery of health services and their quality. Diverse interventions have been instituted by central and state governments to attract health workers to rural areas and to enhance the retention of qualified workers in India. However the reasons for not willing to remain in rural and remote areas are still ...