University Partnerships for International Development by Cozza Barbara;Blessinger Patrick;

Author:Cozza, Barbara;Blessinger, Patrick;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Emerald Publishing Limited
Published: 2016-12-09T00:00:00+00:00

THE CENTRE FOR RURAL MEDICINE (GMC), STORUMAN, SWEDEN

The Centre for Rural Medicine (GMC) in Storuman, northern Sweden, is an initiative of one medical practitioner who was able to convince the provincial government’s Primary Care Department to support a research and development unit aiming to bring together government, university and industry stakeholders to find solutions for persisting rural health issues such as the recruitment, retention, and training of health professionals, the use of distance bridging technologies and the design of primary care services for small and isolated settlements. GMC was at least partially set up as a result of a perception that the “local” university (in practice, the campus is some 250 kilometers away) was paying insufficient attention to rural health and medical issues. Consequently, GMC has established partnerships with universities in other parts of Sweden and internationally (including a formal partnership with NOSM). During its five years’ existence, GMC has found itself involved in a range of activities beyond what is implied by the “rural medicine” title, and is in the process of transforming itself into a Centre for Rural Research and Innovation.

GMC has four full-time staff working out of offices in the community (“cottage”) hospital in Storuman in north west Sweden. The offices act as a center of GMC activities, but it has physical presence through other staff (mostly part-time and also working as health professionals) living and working in other towns and villages. GMC has also constructed a “virtual health room” in the very small (population 150 residents) community of Slussfors, some 60 kilometers to the west. In all, about 12 people have some paid role with GMC. GMC is a unit of the provincial government, but it also has a Board representing local government, the other northern provinces of Sweden, universities and health professional associations. Initially, most GMC activity focused on Storuman and its immediately surrounding areas, but more recently GMC has taken on a role of fostering UCE across the northern inland of Sweden. This has involved establishing formal partnerships with local and provincial governments outside of Storuman, and building up its workforce, as well as its suite of activities, in these other locations. Again initially, the focus of engagement was around health and medicine, but more and more GMC is assisting government, communities, and universities to work together on issues related to rural development more generally. As a result, the current plan is to re-establish GMC as the Centre for Rural Research and Innovation, and more formally assert its capacity to assist a wide scope of UCE. The ambition is exploit the strengths of GMC in its fields of interest (distance bridging technologies, remote area service design and delivery, economic and demographic modeling, and Sami health and well-being) and its expertise in engaging universities, government, and industry in research and development projects to underpin the new Center.

One of the consequences of being a UCE initiative instigated by government rather than by universities has been the ability for GMC to easily partner with multiple universities, both within and outside of Sweden.

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