What is "feldsher"

Feldsher (, , , , ) is a health care professional who provides various medical services limited to emergency treatment and ambulance practice, according to the World Health Organization. In the Russian Federation and other countries of the former Soviet Union, feldshers provide primary, obstetric and surgical care services in many rural medical centres and clinics across Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

The equivalent type of provider may also go under different titles in different countries and regions, such as physician assistant in the United States or clinical officer in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. They are collectively grouped under the category “paramedical practitioners” in the International Standard Classification of Occupations, 2008 revision.