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Paper Details


Title
Exploring barriers to accessing healthcare services for older indigenous people in the Chittagong Hill Tract, Bangladesh
Author
, Md Fouad Hossain Sarker, Md Khaled Sifullah, Md Salman Sohel,
Email
Abstract

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.


Keywords
Bangladesh; Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT); healthcare access; indigenous; older.
Journal or Conference Name
AIMS Public Health
Publication Year
2023
Indexing
scopus