Journal article
Health Services Utilization Barriers for Rural Elderly Women in Bangladesh: Narratives of Clinicians, Pharmacists and Public Health Assistants
Journal of cross-cultural gerontology, Vol.37, pp.407-426
05/12/2022
Appears in Recent Faculty of Health Publications
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Abstract
Bangladesh has the third largest population of poor older adults in the world and 73% of them live in rural areas. Disparity in the country’s health services is evident that creates a substantial pressure, especially on rural elderly women who live in a compromised socio-cultural atmosphere. This is true that we know about rural elderly women’s self-reported health and service use barriers, but no studies captured the views of health staff. This study presents a qualitative exploration of the views held by rural health staff whose role is to provide care to local elderly women. We conducted 11 interviews with clinicians, pharmacists and public health assistants in Sylhet district, Bangladesh. A critical thematic discourse analysis, using the critical social constructs of Habermas and Honneth, of the data informed the women’s inadequate healthcare access and associated barriers that were complex and overlapping but had explicit institutional, subjective and material consequences. Five major themes emerged including: unequal distribution of health services; marginalization in patient-staff relationships; living with poverty; social relegation; and mistrust of clinical treatment. Rural areas were viewed with inequitably distributed health services and traditionally a large proportion of elderly women living in poverty who lacked social support and demonstrated a mistrust towards healthcare system. No recognition of the women and power differences were underpinned by economic factors and cultural societal values. The findings suggest a need for health policy solutions and education of healthcare staff and elderly women regarding accessing healthcare.
Details
- Title
- Health Services Utilization Barriers for Rural Elderly Women in Bangladesh: Narratives of Clinicians, Pharmacists and Public Health Assistants
- Creators
- Mohammad Hamiduzzaman - Southern Cross UniversityAnita De Bellis - Flinders UniversityWendy Abigail - Flinders UniversityEvdokia Kalaitsidis - Flinders University
- Publication Details
- Journal of cross-cultural gerontology, Vol.37, pp.407-426
- Publisher
- Springer
- Identifiers
- 991013075124102368
- Copyright
- © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2022.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Health
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article