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| EDITORIAL |
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| Year : 2020 | Volume
: 1
| Issue : 1 | Page : 1-2 |
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Call for strengthening rural healthcare services: Blending rural practice, medical care and surgical specialties
Raman Kumar
Institute of Family Medicine and Primary Care; Academy of Family Physicians of India; WONCA World Organization of Family Doctors South Asia Region, New Delhi, India
| Date of Submission | 17-Dec-2020 |
| Date of Acceptance | 17-Dec-2020 |
| Date of Web Publication | 31-Dec-2020 |
Correspondence Address:
Raman Kumar
049 Crema Tower, Mahagun Mascot, Crossing Republik, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/jssrp.jssrp_6_20
Rural habitat poses several disadvantages to the rural population. Challenges are immense when it comes to organizing the provision of general medical and healthcare services to rural communities. Rural communities are sparingly populated and often remotely located in difficult terrains. Organizing healthcare services such as location is not only difficult logistically but also an expensive proposition. Services are generally planned according to the population and density from the public health perspective. However, human needs are equal for rural people as compared to their urban counterparts. For the rural population to have access to necessary and quality healthcare; the services must be available and obtainable within the rural communities in the primary care setting.
Keywords: Primary care, public health, rural medicine, rural practice, surgical specialties, required
How to cite this article:
Kumar R. Call for strengthening rural healthcare services: Blending rural practice, medical care and surgical specialties. J Surg Spec Rural Pract 2020;1:1-2 |
How to cite this URL:
Kumar R. Call for strengthening rural healthcare services: Blending rural practice, medical care and surgical specialties. J Surg Spec Rural Pract [serial online] 2020 [cited 2023 Mar 31];1:1-2. Available from: http://www.jssrp.org/text.asp?2020/1/1/1/305922 |
| Rural Habitat and Healthcare | |  |
Rural habitat poses several disadvantages to the rural population. Challenges are immense when it comes to organizing the provision of general medical and healthcare services to rural communities. Rural communities are sparingly populated and often remotely located in difficult terrains. Organizing healthcare services such as location is not only difficult logistically but also an expensive proposition. Services are generally planned according to the population and density from the public health perspective. However, human needs are equal for rural people as compared to their urban counterparts. For the rural population to have access to necessary and quality healthcare; the services must be available and obtainable within the rural communities in the primary care setting.
| Challenges and Innovations in Rural Practice | | |
Due to the lack of availability of inappropriately trained healthcare professionals for rural habitation, a different approach is needed; a system that is different from the urban tertiary care hospital-based services. Surgery is increasingly becoming an integral part of public health and health systems development worldwide. Such surgical care should be provided at the same type and level in both urban and rural settings. However, the provision of necessary surgery in remote and rural areas of developed and low and middle-income countries remains inadequate and poses significant challenges. Many countries, for example, Nepal have made significant progress through their innovative approach in training healthcare professionals to address rural health needs. MD General Practice and Emergency prepares rural generalists.
| Augmenting Training and Care in Rural Setting | | |
Specialists for each medical and healthcare discipline may not be available or cost-effective for addressing basic surgical and medical problems prevalent in rural communities. The rural people have to travel long distances to access medical and specialist services. A generalist service provider within a rural setting is the most appropriate person capable of addressing the multimorbidity and variety of health issues in such communities. A convergence of multiple disciplines such as surgery, midwifery, obstetrics, dentistry, anesthesia, orthopedics, medicine, pediatrics is needed for the practice of rural medicine. Countries India have addressed this issue by incorporating the necessary skills at basic medical licensing qualification. MBBS - stands for bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery. MBBS is a generalist qualification. Additional training in form of LSAS - Life-Saving Anesthesia Skills and EMOC - Emergency Obstetrics Care are being made available.
| Broad Generalism and Integration of Disciplines | | |
Beyond medical practice, rural health or rural medicine is the interdisciplinary study of health and health care delivery in rural and remote habitat. The concept of rural medicine integrates disciplines such as geography, midwifery, nursing, sociology, economy, telehealth, or telemedicine. Only a comprehensive approach can address these inequities arising from inadequate healthcare systems. The lack of healthcare workers has resulted in unconventional healthcare delivery to rural dwellers, including innovative and exceptional procedural interventions and medical consultations by phone digital means. Attracting health professionals to isolated locations need incentives for rural practice.
| Journal of Surgical Specialty and Rural Practice Call for Action | | |
Poor health constitutes suffering and deprivation of the most fundamental kind. Journal of Surgical Specialty and Rural Practice (JSSRP) invites health care professionals to build a multidisciplinary healthcare scholarship domain involving general surgeons, anesthetists, obstetricians, gynecologists, midwives, dental surgeons, oral health professionals. Nursing professionals, healthcare technicians, public health professionals, physicians.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
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