Short Abstract:

People with disabilities are a marginalized and vulnerable segment of the population in Bangladesh. Most of them are isolated from mainstream society, stigmatized, and mistreated. They experience poor health compared to their non-disabled counterpart in Bangladesh. The present paper intends to understand the health care service utilization by parents of children with disabilities in Bangladesh.

Long Abstract:

People with disabilities are a marginalized and vulnerable segment of the population in Bangladesh. Most of them are isolated from mainstream society, stigmatized, and mistreated. They experience poor health compared to their non-disabled counterpart in Bangladesh. They even face challenges in accessing the health and rehabilitation services. Parents of children with disabilities had to incur additional health care expenditure and encounter stigma and negative attitudes from healthcare professionals and community people. They live in an unfriendly and hostile environment and are often subject to a negative attitude, non-cooperation, ill-treatment, neglect, and hostility in Bangladesh. However, the inclusion of people from all segments of society including people with disabilities in mainstream development activities is necessary for minimizing inequalities and ensuring sustainable development.

This study intends to understand the health care service utilization by parents of children with disabilities in Bangladesh. The research design incorporates both qualitative and quantitative approaches. A multistage sampling procedure was used to recruit an appropriate sample for the study. Parents who participated in the study highlight the multiple disadvantageous conditions in access to healthcare services and experiences of neglect, abuse, and discrimination from healthcare providers. The results of the study also revealed that most parents do not utilize available healthcare services because of the issue of accessibility, financial constraints, physical distance, lack of information about the services, lack of staff in the service centers, and dependency of some parents on the traditional healing systems. The study advocates for disability-friendly support services for strengthening the capabilities of families with children with disabilities, expediting their access to healthcare services, and promoting the well-being of children with disabilities and their families in Bangladesh.