The Specialist Squeeze: How to Fix the Shortage of Doctors in the Rural North

The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium provides telehealth services to more than 100,000 Alaska Natives, primarily in small communities with limited access to travel. The organization, along with others like the Indian Health Service, also provide remote care to families with children with developmental needs, like those with autism.

Anambra State’s telemedicine program is closing the healthcare access gap in rural communities, making universal health coverage more possible. The program began in 2022 and has since hired and trained 42 doctors in providing remote healthcare. As more people use the telemedicine program, public trust in primary healthcare across the region is increasing.

Through well-coordinated efforts by healthcare workers, those living in rural, hard-to-reach areas were able to access the COVID-19 vaccine. As of July 2023, 83.9% of the country’s total population had been vaccinated with their first dose and 83.4% had received their second dose.

The Medeecal app increases healthcare access by providing a range of telehealth services including health education, free medical consultations, preventative care, referrals and follow-up care. As of March 2023, the app has over 1,000 registered patients and provides about eight consultations a day.

The Arizona Health Department delivers COVID-19 tests, vaccinations and other medical services to underserved, low-income communities via mobile vans, pop-up clinics and in-home services for those who struggle to access health care. Since the mobile program started in 2021, more than 140,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered.

Clean Slate Clinic is an in-home detox service that helps people receive a medicated detox plan including pharmaceuticals and vitamins, as well as daily telehealth sessions, rehabilitation support and check-ins. These detox services are currently undergoing a trial period that will tailor the program according to the unique needs of people in more rural and remote settings.

Crown Agents is an international development organization working to get people vaccinated against COVID-19, despite vaccine shortages and misinformation from anti-vaxxers.

Boda boda motorcycle taxi riders have become frontline HIV health advocates through the LISTEN (Local Innovation Scaled Through Enterprise Network) Community of Practice. Trained in HIV self-testing, prevention methods and counseling, the riders hold monthly awareness days, operate two community testing stations, and distribute preventive items to the public. Since the initiative began in 2019, the association has reached approximately 10,000 people, referred 2,000 for antiretroviral treatment and tested around 400 people per month.

The Maternal and Neonatal Emergency Transport Scheme helps to increase access to healthcare services for women and newborns in rural areas through its informal transport/ambulance service. There are currently 2,500 registered drivers with the program willing to transport those in need of care and they serve about 70-90 women in labor each month.

The Wassa mobile clinic provides community members with access to healthcare services like childbirth, vaccinations, family planning, and treatment for diseases like malaria and measles. The mobile clinic services are affordable and easy for the community to access, eliminating the need to travel far for care.