|
1
|
Khan A, Fahad TM, Manik MIN, Ali H, Ashiquazzaman M, Mollah MI, Zaman T, Islam MS, Rahman M, Rahman A, Rahman M, Naz T, Pavel MA, Khan MN. Barriers in access to healthcare services for individuals with disorders of sex differentiation in Bangladesh: an analysis of regional representative cross-sectional data. BMC Public Health 2020; 20:1261. [PMID: 32811451 PMCID: PMC7437164 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-09284-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Worldwide people in disorder of sex development (DSD) faces multiple barriers while seeking their social rights, particularly healthcare services. We aimed to explore the healthcare opportunities available to them, using patterns of healthcare utilization and difficulties faced by DSD population in accessing healthcare services in Bangladesh. Methods Data from a total of 945 DSD population and 71 medical staff were analyzed, collected from three major divisions (Dhaka, Chittagong, and Rajshahi) in Bangladesh during the period of January to December of 2017. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data via face-to-face interviews. Descriptive statistic was used to determine the frequencies of the visit by the DSD population in healthcare facilities as well as to analyze difficulties experienced by the DSD population in getting healthcare services. Multivariate regression analysis was used to explore the association between perceived barriers in getting healthcare services and failures of the DSD population to receive the healthcare services. Results Present data revealed that around 80% of DSD population sought healthcare services from government healthcare facilities, where the overall success rate in getting healthcare services was less than 50%. The DSD population reported a number of reasons for failures in getting healthcare services, including non-friendly interaction by non-clinical hospital’s staff, non-friendly interaction by physicians, public fright as general people do not want to mingle with a DSD person, undesirable excess public interest in DSD individuals, and limitation of the treatment opportunities of hospitals to merely male or female patients. Among the stated reasons, the most frequently reported reason was non-friendly interaction by physicians (50.27%), followed by undesirable excess public interest in DSD individuals (50.16%). Conclusion DSD population in Bangladesh have limited access to healthcare facilities and facing multiple barriers to get healthcare services. Initiatives from the government and social organizations are important to ensure their access to healthcare services.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alam Khan
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6205, Bangladesh. .,Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, Florida, USA.
| | - T M Fahad
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6205, Bangladesh
| | - Md Imran Nur Manik
- Department of Pharmacy, Northern University Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Hazrat Ali
- Department of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh
| | - Md Ashiquazzaman
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6205, Bangladesh
| | - Md Ibrahim Mollah
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6205, Bangladesh
| | - Tanjeena Zaman
- Department of Fisheries, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh.,Department of Biology, University of Hail, Hail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
| | - Md Shariful Islam
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
| | - Moizur Rahman
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
| | - Aminur Rahman
- Department of Population Science and Human Resource Development, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
| | - Mostafizur Rahman
- Department of Population Science and Human Resource Development, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
| | - Tarannum Naz
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6205, Bangladesh
| | - Mahmud Arif Pavel
- Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, Florida, USA.,Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md Nuruzzaman Khan
- Department of Population Sciences, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh
| |
Collapse
|