Access to rural health services: research as community action and policy critique.
Although access to rural health services has been an enduring focus for a variety of scholars, little has been recorded about the intersection between health service policy, provision and access experiences. This paper identifies how community action can highlight the gaps between policy rhetoric and access experiences. Taking the case of rural New Zealand, we document how a community organisation Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) completed a national survey as a form of community action. This study records rural households' experiences and challenges when accessing both primary and secondary health services. A range of access problems is identified. The study also illustrates how community-based activism concerning health care need not be local or single-service focussed, but can involve a multi-service critique at the national scale. Such work highlights not only the experience but also the complexity and politics of health service access.
Panelli
Ruth
R
Department of Geography, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand. rp@geography.otago.ac.nz
Gallagher
Lou
L
Kearns
Robin
R
D000328:Adult; D003256:Community Participation; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000592:standards / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014932:Women's Health Services / Q000592:standards / Q000600:supply & distribution*