Hossen Md Sohrab, Sohel Md Salman, Horaira Gazi Abu, Laskor Md Aminul Haque, Sumi Asia Binta Amanat, Chowdhury Srima, Aktar Sima, Sifullah Md Khaled, Sarker Md Fouad Hossain
James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Department of Development Studies, Daffodil International University, Dhaka-1216, Bangladesh.
AIMS Public Health. 2023 Aug 10;10(3):678-697. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2023047. eCollection 2023.
We aim to investigate the obstacles faced by elderly indigenous individuals in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh when accessing healthcare services. A qualitative research approach was utilized, and data collection was carried out in three distinct regions of the aforementioned area. A total of 30 in-depth, semi-structured interviews and participant observations were conducted to achieve the research objectives. Thematic analysis utilizing both a deductive and inductive approach was employed to analyze the data. The Granheim method and Nvivo-12 software were utilized to process, analyze and code the data. The study's findings indicate that a lack of knowledge about healthcare needs, geographical barriers, poor financial conditions, higher cost of medical services, scarcity of hospitals nearby and communication barriers all contribute to inadequate access to healthcare services. By recognizing the factors that impede access to healthcare services in this region, this study offers valuable insight for policymakers and healthcare providers on how to enhance healthcare services for the indigenous population, especially the elderly. Furthermore, the government can adopt a more efficient approach to include these elderly individuals in various social safety net programs.
我们旨在调查孟加拉国吉大港山区老年原住民在获取医疗服务时所面临的障碍。采用了定性研究方法,并在上述地区的三个不同区域进行了数据收集。为实现研究目标,共进行了30次深入的半结构化访谈和参与观察。采用演绎和归纳相结合的主题分析法对数据进行分析。利用格兰海姆方法和Nvivo - 12软件对数据进行处理、分析和编码。研究结果表明,对医疗保健需求的了解不足、地理障碍、经济状况不佳、医疗服务成本较高、附近医院稀缺以及沟通障碍等因素,都导致了医疗服务获取不足。通过认识到该地区阻碍医疗服务获取的因素,本研究为政策制定者和医疗服务提供者提供了关于如何改善原住民尤其是老年人医疗服务的宝贵见解。此外,政府可以采取更有效的方法,将这些老年人纳入各种社会安全网计划。