Family medicine education in rural communities as a health service intervention supporting recruitment and retention of physicians

摘要

About 18% of Canadians live in rural, remote or isolated com-munities. Factors such as isolation from urban centres; poor weather conditions impairing access to remote locations, and lack of communication technology infrastructure have made it challenging for the Canadian health system to sustain equitable provision of health care services to these communities, The implications of this are evident when comparing the health of rural Canadians with that of their urban counterparts. There are higher incidences of poor nutrition, chronic disease, injury and death among rural populations than among urban populations. These health differences are even more pronounced for indigenous populations in rural and remote communities that have experienced more difficulty in accessing regular primary care services. In fact, a call to action was highlighted in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, stating that indigenous health will not improve without considerable system change, given the persistent inequity and inaction across the health system. Despite the federal government's investment in public health and community care, rural and remote populations in Canada continue to experience poor health.