18 It’s Farming. And It’s Better. Better Farming | October 2024 RURAL HEALTHCARE “Rural healthcare continues to be ignored, under-resourced, and is a very different healthcare than is delivered in urban areas. Rural medicine and urban medicine are very different, and present different challenges.” That statement comes from Dr. Rithesh Ram, Rural Generalist Medicine specialist and president and founder of Riverside Medical in Drumheller, Alta. Indeed, some farm families continue to grapple with limited healthcare options across rural communities here in Ontario. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), rural and remote areas continue to have fewer physicians per capita compared to urban centres. In 2022, some 27 per cent of rural Canadians reported difficulty accessing a family doctor, compared to 13 per cent in urban areas. The shortage of physicians in these regions often results in longer wait times and reduced access to necessary services. Ram sees the shortage of medical professionals as related to “the false notion that urban experience is more valuable than rural experience, and that physicians only practice in rural areas because they are unable to ‘make it’ in the city.” Ram also takes issue with any assumption that “in rural areas we have the exact same resources and availability of services that they do in urban areas.” The CIHI points out that geographic isolation poses one of the most significant issues for rural Canadians. Many farmers must travel long distances to access healthcare services, which can be particularly burdensome for those with chronic conditions or mobility issues. Emergency healthcare services in rural areas are frequently under strain as well. Many rural communities have fewer emergency medical services (EMS) and hospitals equipped to handle complex cases. “The current system funnels investigations funding to the urban centres, where you have 200 hundred times the number of specialists roaming the hallways who have been trained to diagnose problems without specialized tests,” Ram explains. “Rural and remote areas should be provided the ability to perform tests and get answers that would either prevent patients from being transferred to the city needlessly or identify patients that must be sent to the city immediately to prevent morbidity and mortality. “For example, in our town, it makes no sense why our CT scan is available only Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. “Which means every patient who comes at 4:30 on a weekday, or any patient who comes on the weekend, must be transported to the city for a scan. “The majority of those scans result in non-urgent results, which means the patient and ambulance were inconvenienced for many hours when they could have – within minutes – received the scan in our centre. “Not to mention the significantly higher cost of continuing with the status quo.” The CIHI points out that rural hospitals are more likely to face closures or service reductions compared to urban hospitals. This can lead to delays in emergency care and increased risk for patients in critical situations. Mental health services in rural areas are often limited due to a shortage of professionals and the stigma associated with mental health issues. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, rural communities face challenges such as fewer psychiaSTEPS STILL NEED TO BE TAKEN, SAYS RURAL PHYSICIAN RURAL HEALTHCARE: STILL UNDER-RESOURCED BY MARY LOGGAN Leslie Stewart photo
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