Equitable Health – Building capacity to address healthcare challenges in rural areas

Health inequity is a serious global problem and social determinants are strong predictors for health status. So is the place where you live; people in urban areas typically have better health than people in rural communities, where healthcare resources additionally are scarce.

This project builds on the joint challenge of the two partners to provide high-quality healthcare to rural communities.

In the light of the rapid urbanization, rural medicine has social as well as political and economical dimensions that have to be tackled. The project will therefore create opportunities for sharing experiences on various levels of society by involving politicians, healthcare officials, medical practitioners, educational policy makers and community members in the joint activities. The project will arrange workshops, perform surveys in schools and create a mentor program for medical students and staff practicing in rural areas. 

The project also aims at setting up a telemedicine test-bed in a village in Gunungkidul. This test-bed will be placed in a public facility, inspired by the “virtual health room” located in a school in rural Västerbotten. The project is expected to improve the capacity of the local governments to improve the health and wellbeing of the population, with focus on rural communities.