Barriers to Access of Healthcare Services for Rural Women—Applying Gender Lens on TB in a Rural District of Sindh, Pakistan

Shifa Salman Habib, Wafa Zehra Jamal, Syed Mohammad Asad Zaidi, Junaid-Ur-Rehman Siddiqui, Hira Mustafa Khan, Jacob Creswell, Srichand Batra and Anna Versfeld
Additional contact information
Shifa Salman Habib: Community Health Solutions, Karachi 74000, Pakistan
Wafa Zehra Jamal: Community Health Solutions, Karachi 74000, Pakistan
Syed Mohammad Asad Zaidi: Community Health Solutions, Karachi 74000, Pakistan
Junaid-Ur-Rehman Siddiqui: Aahung, Karachi 75600, Pakistan
Hira Mustafa Khan: Aahung, Karachi 75600, Pakistan
Jacob Creswell: The Stop TB Partnership, Chemin du Pommier 40, 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex, Switzerland
Srichand Batra: Pakistan Tuberculosis Program, Karachi 12000, Pakistan
Anna Versfeld: The Stop TB Partnership, Chemin du Pommier 40, 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 19, 1-12

Abstract: Background: Women in the rural districts of Pakistan face numerous barriers to healthcare, rendering gender-responsive health programming important, including for the disease of tuberculosis (TB). This study was conducted to assess the general understanding of TB and for women’s access to healthcare, as a first step towards implementation of a gender responsive TB program in Tando Allahyar, a rural district of Pakistan. Methods: A total of 36 participants were interviewed for the study. The focus group discussion guide comprised of questions on: (1) family/household dynamics, (2) community norms, (3) healthcare systems, (4) women’s access to healthcare, (5) TB Awareness, and (6) women’s access to TB Care. Results: Limited autonomy in household financial decision-making, disapproval of unassisted travel, long travel time, lack of prioritization of spending on women’s health and inadequate presence of female health providers, were identified as barriers to access healthcare for women, which is even higher in younger women. Facilitators to access of TB care included a reported lack of TB-related stigma, moderate knowledge about TB disease, and broad understanding of tuberculosis as a curable disease. Other suggested facilitators include health facilities closer to the villages and the availability of higher quality services. Conclusion: Significant barriers are faced by women in accessing TB care in rural districts of Pakistan. Program implementers in high burden countries should shift towards improved gender-responsive TB programming.

Keywords: tuberculosis; patriarchy; gender barriers; women (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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