The LGBT Community in the country is now less discriminated against compared to the past years but they still face numerous challenges in their daily lives. Availing health care services is one of the challenges.
A 2014 study revealed health workers in the country lack skills to provide health care services to the members of LGBT community. Part of the challenge also stems from the LGBT members’ inability to be open about their gender with the health workers, most probably due to fear of being ridiculed or discriminated against.
From 97 registered members in 2017, the LGBT Community now has 118 members. Of that, 67 are in Thimphu.
The members say due to lack of understanding between health workers and LGBT members, they land up not availing health services.
“The health workers in our country lack knowledge about LGBT and that’s why most of the LGBT people do not seek services,” Tenzin Gyeltshen, an Outreach Coordinator for LGBTIQ community said.
“I feel both sides are to be blamed because the doctors have to understand but for that to happen, the community members have to let the health workers know about their LGBT status so that they understand we have separate needs.”
The 2014 study, “Stigma and Discrimination against Men having Sex with Men (MSM) and Transgender” was carried out by the health ministry with support from the UNDP.
The study covered health workers in six districts. Questionnaires were distributed to 887 health care providers. Of that, only 317 of them responded to the questionnaire.
Thirty eight per cent of them said their understanding on the Men having Sex with Men (MSM) issues are pretty good, while 29 per cent said their understanding is reasonably poor. Twenty seven per cent of the respondents rated their understanding of the subject as very poor.
The study also revealed that most of the health workers are uncomfortable while dealing with MSM and transgender people.
The LGBTQ community hopes for better communication and collaboration between them and health care providers to address the concern.
“Before providing better services, we should work together and start advocating, especially among the health workers,” Tenzin Gyeltshen said.
“The new trainees are being trained on LGBT issues and they have even invited us to come and advocate on LGBT issues, but I think the old health workers are not aware, so that is where we should focus.”
The Department of Public Health of the health ministry accepts the findings of the study. It says the challenges crop mainly because health workers are trained to provide services to the general population.
“Following that study in 2014, we have tried to sensitise ourselves first,” Karma Lhazeen, the Director of the Department of Public Health said.
“We have also tried to sensitise the Faculty of Nursing and Public Health. So, after that in 2015, we have tried to incorporate some of these issues in the curriculum of the Faculty of Nursing and Public Health.”
The ministry also started sensitisation programmes on LGBT community for the health workers and relevant stakeholders.
Only a single person from the LGBT community has been recorded as HIV positive as of today, but the ministry says elsewhere HIV epidemic is now being driven by MSM and transgender and expressed concerns over this.
“We are fortunate in Bhutan that we have not seen this trend happening but we have learnt from experience of other countries,” Director Karma Lhazeen said.
The ministry is urging LGBT members to express their needs and seek help, and added it remains committed to improving the situation. The LGBT community was formed in 2014.
