Table 4 Stakeholders’ perception of the acceptability and feasibility of the guidelines policy options; answers provided on a 9-point Likert scale

Education

 Targeted admissions of students from a rural background into health profession schools

7

37%

6.7

30%

 Location of health profession schools outside major cities

6.4

30%

5.9

20%

 Provide clinical rotations/community experiences in rural areas during pre-service education

7.8

51%

7.5

44%

 Revise the curricula of pre-service education to include rural health issues, skills for team-building and supervision, and primary care orientation

7.9

50%

7.5

43%

 Continuing education and professional development programmes that meets the needs of rural health workers

8

54%

7.7

43%

Regulatory

 Enhance the scope of practice of specific cadres of health workers in rural areas

7.6

38%

7.1

30%

 Produce different types of health workers with appropriate training and regulation for rural practice

7.1

32%

6.7

27%

 Impose a compulsory service in rural areas in exchange of licensing or other employment benefits

6.1

23%

6.1

24%

 Scholarships or other type of financial incentives for education in exchange of return of service in rural or remote areas

7.7

50%

7.4

39%

Financial incentives

 Provide appropriate financial incentives (monetary or non-monetary)

7.9

52%

7.4

42%

Professional and personal support

 Improve living conditions for health workers and their families and invest in infrastructure and services in rural areas

8.2

64%

7.3

40%

 Provide a safe and supportive working environment for rural and remote posts

8.3

66%

7.4

38%

 Implement appropriate outreach support activities

8

53%

7.4

37%

 Support career development programmes

8.1

56%

7.7

44%

 Support the development of professional networks

7.8

48%

7.4

41%

 Adopt public recognition measures

7.5

44%

7.3

39%