“From Vulnerability to Resilience”: Young General Practitioners in Times of Healthcare Challenges in Rural Areas

Description

Latvia's rural areas are emptying. The latest Eurostat data show that the population is decreasing in all regions of Latvia, losing 4,3% or around 11,000 residents last year. This has led to increasingly centralized infrastructure. A serious problem is the shortage of general practitioners. The state expects young specialists to step in and help solve it, but there are not too many because of private or other reasons.

Based on semi-structured interviews with early-career general practitioners in Latvia, who, despite long-standing healthcare system problems, have chosen to move to rural areas, I ask: What helps young doctors maintain and preserve their resilience in this context of precarity and individual vulnerability? What agency do they potentially have on local communities, and what role do they play in strengthening it?

By asking this question, I suggest that ties—both pre-owned and new—help them maintain their resilience and diminish vulnerability. Additionally, general practitioners ow a high status in local communities. They address not only individual health situations but also serve as a multitasking solution for system shortages and in the meantime, also for rural resilience. In many cases, it is strengthened by solidarity shown by locals — both authorities and community.

Period	10 Jul 2025
Event title	30th European Society for Rural Sociology Congress
Event type	Congress
Conference number	30
Organiser	European Society for Rural Sociology
Location	Riga, LatviaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International