Assessing Accessibility to Public Health Service Among Hijra Community in Bangladesh: A Study on Rangpur District

Tahmid Ahmed Azmir

Abstract

The hijra/ third gender is a socially excluded population in Bangladesh. Access is a key concept in the study of health services, which measures the capability of the health system to reach all levels of the population. Despite the legal recognition of gender identity, the third-gender community has limited access to avail health services, as various studies revealed. The study's key objective is to measure the accessibility of government health services among the Hijra Community in Bangladesh. This study collected and analyzed data from four Upazilas (Sadar, Taraganj, Badarganj, Pirgaccha) of the Rangpur district from January to October of 2023. Results show that public hospitals only offered male and female-oriented facilities, but no facilities were explicitly designated for patients recognized as hijra. The testing, treatment, and prevention facilities were insufficient and inconsistent. Moreover, the service providers were unwilling to effectively communicate with hijra patients because of their limited understanding of specialized health services for this community. To reduce discrimination and provide equitable health service services for the hijra community, this study suggests that hijra identity needs to be institutionalized as well as to promote appropriate, safe, and respectful health services in public hospitals, including training and education of health service personnel, modifying criteria for hijra care, and providing culturally competent health service.

Full Text: PDF