Cities full of advanced technologies on one side, and villages where even a simple needle is hard to find on the other — how can this gap be closed?

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Shola Muzaffarli is a 20-year-old medical student from Shabran, Azerbaijan. She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

People living in cities can use medical services quickly, but those in villages have to travel for hours to get them. This not only creates a danger to life but also lowers people’s quality of life. People struggling with hard living conditions are also tested by their health. But the solution is not that easy. However, everyone has the right to access medical services. Of course, instead of expecting people living in villages to reach healthcare services, it is more important to bring these services to them.

Let’s take a look at the main problems:

• Geographic isolation: clinics are located far from villages;
• Shortage of medical staff: doctors and nurses are unwilling to work in remote areas; there are few qualified professionals in these regions;
• Lack of supplies: problems with roads, electricity, and internet; no health centers; not enough medical equipment;
• Economic barrier: people can’t get services because of poverty;
• Low awareness: people can’t understand their symptoms or go to the doctor on time because they don’t talk to a doctor;

There is no single solution to all the problems we looked at. New ideas should be considered, some steps should be taken, and the issue should be solved in a planned way. 

Here are some possible solutions to the problem:

• Repairing roads in remote villages to make transport easier: this not only helps people go to the city more easily, but also makes it possible for medical services to reach the villages.
• Opening health centers in villages: even if they don’t have all the equipment, having the necessary tools in these centers will help solve many health problems for the people.
• First aid training: Teaching selected people from the community basic first aid helps provide quick medical help and reduces life-threatening risks.
• Mobile medical clinics: For serious, long-term problems, local centers cannot provide enough help. In these cases, mobile medical clinics — medical vehicles with modern equipment — solve the problem. Planned visits by medical workers to villages once or twice a month will improve people’s health. Volunteer groups can also be created for this.
• Mandatory medical service: Medical graduates can work in remote villages for 1 or 2 years.
• Ambulances: These vehicles should work in all villages to take patients to the nearest hospitals in emergencies.

Solving these problems may seem easy when listed or read, but it requires everyone to work together to make it happen. If a mother stays awake at night worried because she can’t find a cure for her child’s fever, and an elderly person waits for days to see a doctor, it means our work is not done yet. The lives and health of people living in remote villages are not less valuable than those living in cities.

Strength is in unity – let’s work together for humanity.

About the author

Shola Muzaffarli is a 20-year-old medical student from Shabran, Azerbaijan. She is currently studying in her 4th year at the Faculty of General Medicine (I MPF) of Azerbaijan Medical University (AMU). She has been working as an active member and project manager in the AzerMDS SCOME (Standing Committee On Medical Education) since 2024. In addition to her studies, she is interested in playing table tennis and cooking.