SWEDESD - Sustainability Learning and Research Centre at the Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Department of Geography, University of Bamenda, Bamenda, Cameroon.
Reprod Health. 2022 May 28;19(1):126. doi: 10.1186/s12978-022-01430-w.
Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care services are essential to improving the lives of women and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. In Cameroon, the Catholic Church is one the largest non-governmental suppliers of health care, but its role in providing SRH care is restricted by religious norms.
This study explored doctors' experiences and perceptions of providing SRH care at Catholic hospitals in a conflict-affected area in Cameroon by using 10 in-depth interviews with doctors from three Catholic hospitals in the North-West region. Qualitative coding was done with NVivo, and data were analysed using thematic analysis.
Three themes and seven categories were identified. The respondents described strict rules and a broad range of challenges to providing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care services. Nonetheless, there is evidence of doctors overcoming obstacles to providing SRH care despite the religious and political climate. However, whilst attempting to overcome challenges, participants described numerous examples of poor SRH care and health outcomes.
The study highlights the importance of understanding the intersect between religion and women's health, particularly in improving access to SRH for vulnerable populations in conflict-affected areas. It further provides insight into doctors' motivations in practicing medicine and how doctors cope and make efforts to provide care and minimize harm.
性与生殖健康（SRH）护理服务对于改善妇女生活和实现可持续发展目标至关重要。在喀麦隆，天主教会是最大的非政府医疗保健提供者之一，但由于宗教规范的限制，其在提供 SRH 护理方面的作用受到限制。
本研究通过对西北区 3 家天主教学院的 10 名医生进行 10 次深入访谈，探讨了喀麦隆受冲突影响地区天主教学院医生提供 SRH 护理的经验和看法。使用 NVivo 进行定性编码，并使用主题分析进行数据分析。
确定了三个主题和七个类别。受访者描述了提供全面性与生殖健康护理服务的严格规定和广泛的挑战。尽管存在宗教和政治氛围的障碍，但仍有证据表明医生在提供 SRH 护理方面克服了这些障碍。然而，在试图克服挑战的过程中，参与者描述了许多 SRH 护理不佳和健康结果不佳的例子。
本研究强调了理解宗教与妇女健康之间交叉点的重要性，特别是在改善受冲突影响地区弱势群体获得 SRH 方面。它进一步深入了解了医生行医的动机，以及医生如何应对并努力提供护理并尽量减少伤害。
