Question

The member of Congress asks you to elaborate an about 2-page brief identifying: a) the situation of the health workforce in the country, particularly its scarcity in rural and other underserved areas; b) feasible initiatives to address the situation;

Answer 1

Situation of the health work force in the country:

Health workforce of a Country is one of the valuable asset of the nation. In US, There are about 34 occupation or profession related to health care such as Medical, nursing, laboratory technicians, physical therapists, Counsellors, dentists , Nursing assistants etc. According to American Community Survey ( 2015) , there are approximately 15 million individuals serving the country as health care workers. This represents that 5% of population ( working age) is working for health sectors such as hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and other settings like schools, companies etc. Even the the country is facing a shortage of health care staffs as each year many of them gets retiring from the profession.

Scarcity of health workforce in rural and underserved areas:

To ensure quality health care for the people in the rural areas , adequate healthcare workforce should be maintained in those areas . Staff shortage is existing particularly in rural health care settings and underserved areas. Shortage of health workforce in rural areas represents the Country's shortage in total health care workforce. This shortage of health workforce in rural areas and underserved areas is due to the unequal distribution of health care professionals. Reports show that only 12 % of physicians are working in rural areas.

The maldistribution of health workforce makes the rural community vulnerable for inadequate health care services. The staff shortage or maldistribution is mainly due to following reasons:

* Preference of health care staffs: most of them choose urban areas to work.

* Health care facilities are inadequate in rural and underserved areas, such as low income communities and places where minority groups stays.

* Number of Educational institutions are less in Rural areas areas.

* Chronic illness, communicable diseases are more in rural areas, that makes more demand on health workforce.

* Fewer job opportunities for family members and spouses.

* Less opportunities and courses for career advancement.

b) Feasible initiatives :

* Rural Medical Education programme ( RMED) ensures that the Medical students are working for a prescribed time period in rural areas or clinics in underserved areas, so that they will understand the rural community and their culture and challenges better.  

* Ensure good working environment and facilities for the health care staff's families in rural areas by the Government.

* Establish good educational institutions for the children of health care staffs.

* Create facilities for tele-nursing and tele- medicine.

* Policies and programmes for equal distribution of physicians, nurses and other health care providers in rural and urban community.