US rural areas brace for shortage of doctors after visa policy changes

New York

IN Coudersport, Pennsylvania, a town in a mountainous region an hour's drive from the nearest Wal-Mart, Cole Memorial Hospital counts on two Jordanian physicians to keep its obstetrics unit open and is actively recruiting foreign specialists.

In Fargo, North Dakota, a gastroenterologist from Lebanon - who is among thousands of foreign physicians in the state - has risen to become vice-president of the North Dakota Medical Association.