| Poor quality of life in rural Latin America has led to mass migration to the cities. In 1965, 47.6 of the total Latin American population lived in rural areas; by 197 the percentage had dropped to 42.6. If the current trend continues, by 198, only 31.2 of the population will be rural. Accurate statistics are hard to come by as countries differ in their opinion of what population density constitutes a rural area. However, they agree that the rural population has an important role to play in the economic and social development of the country and that steps must be taken to ameliorate the conditions, such as malnutrition, high infant mortality rates, and infectious disease, that lead to this exodus. Difficult access to rural areas is a prime obstacle to rural health promotion. Attempts have been made to overcome this difficulty by training auxiliaries, or even primary school teachers and policemen, to take on various health related duties. Procedures whereby doctors make the rounds of the rural zones in mobile units are also discussed. Two major problems encountered in these attempts are inadequate supervision of auxiliaries and the gravitation of professional workers toward the urban centre. As a result, a number of countries have started special health programmes in rural areas as part of their national economic and social development plans. Thirty-six references are listed. |