Factors Affecting Doctors’ Decision-making on Serving in Rural Areas of Bangladesh: An Empirical Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58718/bigmjpa/2026.3.4Keywords:
Shortage of doctors, absenteeism, rural placement, utility-maximization, health policy, BangladeshAbstract
The authors developed a theory about why doctors choose whether or not to serve in rural areas in Bangladesh. Sometimes, doctors defy the decisions of the authority if they are posted in such areas. The theory was essentially that doctors maximize their utility, subject to constraints that the authority can effectively impose on the doctor. In this paper, the authors test the theory by interviewing doctors and other stakeholders about the factors that influence doctors’ decisions to serve in rural placement. The doctors indicated that this was not a matter of comparing potential earnings in the cities and villages. Their demand was for amenities, good schools for their children, comfortable housing, ability for their spouses to secure good jobs that progress their careers, ability to visit family in the cities and opportunities for professional development. At the same time, there is weakness in enforcing the institutional constraints sufficiently. Sometimes, authorities fail to impose any significant punishment on doctors who avoid rural postings or remain absent part of the time. Therefore, the policy solution to assure better medical care for rural dwellers can be a combination of institutional support and institutional constraints.
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