Not a Problem at All or Excluded by Oneself, Doctors and the Law? Healthcare Workers' Perspectives on Access to HIV-Related Healthcare among Same-Sex Attracted Men in Tanzania
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Not a Problem at All or Excluded by Oneself, Doctors and the Law? Healthcare Workers' Perspectives on Access to HIV-Related Healthcare among Same-Sex Attracted Men in Tanzania. / Ishungisa, Alexander Mwijage; Meyrowitsch, Dan Wolf; Mmbaga, Elia John; Leshabari, Melkizedeck Thomas; Moen, Kåre.
In: Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, Vol. 21, 2024.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Not a Problem at All or Excluded by Oneself, Doctors and the Law?
T2 - Healthcare Workers' Perspectives on Access to HIV-Related Healthcare among Same-Sex Attracted Men in Tanzania
AU - Ishungisa, Alexander Mwijage
AU - Meyrowitsch, Dan Wolf
AU - Mmbaga, Elia John
AU - Leshabari, Melkizedeck Thomas
AU - Moen, Kåre
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Background: An increasing body of literature focuses on access to healthcare services for men who engage in sex with other men in Africa, but how healthcare workers conceive of this topic of healthcare workers' views on men's care has not been much studied. Drawing on qualitative research, this article explores healthcare providers' perspectives on access to HIV-related healthcare services among gender and sexuality diverse men in Tanzania. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted among healthcare workers in Dar es Salaam and Tanga, Tanzania in 2018/2019. Data collection entailed qualitative interviewing, focus group discussions and participant observation. A purposive sampling strategy was used to select study participants who varied with respect to age, education level, work experience, and the type and location of the facilities they worked in. A total of 88 participants took part in the study. Results: This paper describes four different discourses that were identified among healthcare workers with respect to their perception of access to healthcare services for men who have sex with men. One held that access to healthcare was not a major problem, another that some same-sex attracted men did not utilize healthcare services although they were available to them, a third that some healthcare workers prevented these men from gaining access to healthcare and a fourth that healthcare for gender and sexual minority persons was made difficult by structural barriers. Conclusion: Although these are four rather different takes on the prevailing circumstances with respect to healthcare access for same-sex attracted men (SSAM), we suggest that they may all be "true" in the sense that they grasp and highlight different aspects of the same realities. More education is needed to healthcare providers to enable them accept SSAM who seek healthcare services and hence improve access to healthcare.
AB - Background: An increasing body of literature focuses on access to healthcare services for men who engage in sex with other men in Africa, but how healthcare workers conceive of this topic of healthcare workers' views on men's care has not been much studied. Drawing on qualitative research, this article explores healthcare providers' perspectives on access to HIV-related healthcare services among gender and sexuality diverse men in Tanzania. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted among healthcare workers in Dar es Salaam and Tanga, Tanzania in 2018/2019. Data collection entailed qualitative interviewing, focus group discussions and participant observation. A purposive sampling strategy was used to select study participants who varied with respect to age, education level, work experience, and the type and location of the facilities they worked in. A total of 88 participants took part in the study. Results: This paper describes four different discourses that were identified among healthcare workers with respect to their perception of access to healthcare services for men who have sex with men. One held that access to healthcare was not a major problem, another that some same-sex attracted men did not utilize healthcare services although they were available to them, a third that some healthcare workers prevented these men from gaining access to healthcare and a fourth that healthcare for gender and sexual minority persons was made difficult by structural barriers. Conclusion: Although these are four rather different takes on the prevailing circumstances with respect to healthcare access for same-sex attracted men (SSAM), we suggest that they may all be "true" in the sense that they grasp and highlight different aspects of the same realities. More education is needed to healthcare providers to enable them accept SSAM who seek healthcare services and hence improve access to healthcare.
KW - men who have sex with men
KW - healthcare workers
KW - healthcare services
KW - access to care
KW - Tanzania
U2 - 10.1177/23259582221121448
DO - 10.1177/23259582221121448
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 35989640
VL - 21
JO - Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care
JF - Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care
SN - 2325-9574
ER -
ID: 333938622