Discussion 1- COVID-19

Healthcare provision in rural areas became difficult as the services were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.These services play a vital role in addressing the health needs and requirements of individuals in rural areas. One of the services includes access to health care services. Communities in rural areas often have limited access to healthcare facilities, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this. In the video, one of the panelists highlights the high rate of closure of hospitals, especially during the pandemic.This leads to limited access to healthcare services. Another affected service is telemedicine services. Telemedicine services emerged during the pandemic as it made access to healthcare easier and reduced the rate of infections. However, in rural areas, this has posed to be difficult due to the internet's inaccessibility and limited access to services. The shortage of healthcare workers posed a challenge in rural areas. The covid-19 pandemic led to the straining availability of healthcare workers due to the workload and burnout, thus leading to a shortage of these workers in rural areas.