Floyd, A., & Sakellariou, D. (2017). Healthcare access for refugee women with limited literacy: layers of disadvantage. International journal for equity in health, 16(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-017-0694-8
The research article by Floyd and Sakellariou unveils a serious case of limited access to healthcare resources that women refugees undergo besides burdens such as human rights violations and disease outbreaks. They have complex access to healthcare because they encounter barriers such as qualification for health insurance plans and the language barrier in the local community food scarcity. The authors lament that people have scarce knowledge in regards to the life experiences of this population (Floyd & Sakellariou, 2017). Furthermore, the strategies put in place to enable healthcare accessibility for refugee women have not been explored for their effectiveness. Peer support and community-based programs are some of the valuable strategies developed by people in trying to help refugees although they do not exactly portray the gaps in healthcare accessibility.
This detailed study allows readers to have an insightful thought about living experiences of accessing healthcare for the illiterate, recently arrived non-English speaking refugee women in Vancouver. The information about the status of refugee women was derived from an interview of eight women through a semi-structured questionnaire. The authors feel comprehending language better, literacy, and refugee conditions can assist lawmakers and hospital workers in improving the accessibility of medical services to this population (Floyd & Sakellariou, 2017). To improve the health status of needy refugee women, they need to be part of research studies that investigate their plight to air their views and advocate for greater change.
Liauw, J., Jurgutis, J., Nouvet, E., Dineley, B., Kearney, H., Reaka, N., & Kouyoumdjian, F. (2021). Reproductive healthcare in prison: A qualitative study of women’s experiences and perspectives in Ontario, Canada. PloS one, 16(5), e0251853.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251853
Liauw et al. (2021) researched to explore the perspectives and experiences of women’s reproductive healthcare in prison. This study complements several studies that focus on probing limited access to healthcare. The prison setting in Ontario, Canada was the major geographical area of focus where it was established that imprisoned women in North America lack access to reproductive healthcare. The limitation to accessing health is contributed by the unavailability of adequate healthcare services in prison facilities. Furthermore, most women were found to be limited by stigma and healthcare quality available in the prison setting (Liauw et al., 2021). The healthcare services recommended by World Health Organization (WHO) in prisons include the use of contraceptives and pregnancy-related care.
The study established that women in prisons have a great desire for better reproductive health. However, they have very limited access to care, have low self-esteem, and are worried about their reproductive health safety. The article significantly offers a way of improving the reproductive justice of the prison population. It is a wake-up call for prison departments to revisit their social inclusivity approaches to prisoners and specifically women’s reproductive health. Interviewed women expressed concerns that prison officers were a huge stumbling block to their ability to access reproductive health while continuing to serve their jail terms (Liauw et al., 2021). They claimed that correctional officers did not value them as people who deserve quality reproductive health. This study provides critical insight for steering prison reforms and increasing health service accessibility to women in prison.
Khan, A., Fahad, T. M., Manik, M. I. N., Ali, H., Ashiquazzaman, M., Mollah, M. I., & Khan, M. (2020). 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, 20(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09284-2
Khan et al. (2020) present a study to reveal barriers to access to healthcare for people with sex-differentiation disorders in Bangladesh. Individuals suffering from disorders of sex development (DSD) across the world face numerous challenges including barriers when trying to access their social rights. The article particularly focuses on healthcare as a social right that DSD persons struggle to achieve. In measuring the extent of healthcare access, the study attempted to scan numerous healthcare programs set for this population using various patterns of health utilization. Findings indicate that the success rate for DSD patients seeking healthcare services in government facilities was less than 50% (Khan et al., 2020). Non-friendly interactions by non-medical staff, physicians, public humiliation, and limited treatment opportunities contributed to the plight of this group.
The article maintains that DSD individuals do not enjoy the utmost access to healthcare services as ordinary patients do benefit. These findings call for reforms in healthcare as the marginalization of DSD patients continues to deny them healthcare justice. The action goes against the universal principle of equitable healthcare for all irrespective of the biological and social status of the person seeking the health services. The health barriers for this population in government hospitals were found to be more extreme as compared to the private facilities. Most of the DSD population in the geographical area of study live in slums, hence, cannot access premium health services (Khan et al., 2020). The fewer affordable services available for low-class dwellers comprise high levels of barriers, hence, escalating the problem across the region. The author implores the government to take initiative and ensure that DSD’s rights to accessing quality healthcare are fully addressed. This can best be achieved through awareness and ensuring that proper health policies are put in place to serve all groups.
References
Floyd, A., & Sakellariou, D. (2017). Healthcare access for refugee women with limited literacy: layers of disadvantage. International journal for equity in health, 16(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-017-0694-8
Liauw, J., Jurgutis, J., Nouvet, E., Dineley, B., Kearney, H., Reaka, N., & Kouyoumdjian, F. (2021). Reproductive healthcare in prison: A qualitative study of women’s experiences and perspectives in Ontario, Canada. PloS one, 16(5), e0251853.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251853
Khan, A., Fahad, T. M., Manik, M. I. N., Ali, H., Ashiquazzaman, M., Mollah, M. I., & Khan, M. (2020). 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, 20(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09284-2
