The 14th conference of the Faculty of Nursing and Physiotherapy at UdL, held yesterday at the Cappont campus, highlighted inequalities in healthcare between rural and urban areas. The event brought together faculty, students, and representatives from the Official College of Nurses of Lleida (COILL) and the College of Physiotherapists of Catalonia to address this issue.
“"Many elements converge to create a true rural gap in healthcare, including geographical, planning, organizational, professional, and health-related factors, or even due to the type of illness, patients, or their personal situation."
To reverse this situation, Carme Campoy stressed the importance of consolidating healthcare professionals from the region, suggesting the implementation of scholarships to enable rural residents to train in healthcare professions. According to Campoy, this would be crucial, as most of these professionals would tend to remain in their area of origin.
In addition to training, there was a call to rethink healthcare policies to favor territorial rebalancing and make greater use of technology. Campoy noted that resources such as telemedicine and remote monitoring can optimize the work of healthcare professionals. She concluded that, despite the difficulties, the healthcare gap in rural areas has narrowed in recent years, and technology can be a fundamental ally in this trend.
The conference also included an analysis of gender biases in rural healthcare, the presentation of the best Bachelor's Degree Final Projects in Nursing and Physiotherapy, and the awarding of prizes from the faculty's twenty-third photography contest.
