Introduction:
The developing world is changing rapidly. Nevertheless, health inequalities exist
in all parts of the world, contradict accepted values of human rights and manifest
themselves with immediate effect. This case-study analyses the access to public healthcare
for poor people with disabilities (PwDs) in Cambodia. The historical past of Cambodia
has set former social policy structures to zero. This forces Cambodia to implement
new public health policies to align with the needs of social care, healthcare and
urban planning. In this context, the role of PwDs is crucial to generate equal access
to public healthcare.
Materials & Methods:
This study analyses empirical self-collected data. Four focus group discussions (FGDs)
are evaluated. The content is presented in a summarizing matter. In addition, 17 expert
interviews were realized. The transcripts of the expert interviews are analyzed using
the science-based qualitative content analysis following the methodology of qualitative
content analysis by Mayring. Furthermore, national datasets were reviewed for a deeper
understanding of the situation of the healthcare system and the living situation of
PwDs.
Results:
The social risk group of poor PwDs faces several barriers in accessing public healthcare.
These barriers go far beyond a missing ramp to access the healthcare center. The content
of the FGDs is ratified and repeated during the 17 expert interviews. All participants
of the FGDs faced and continue to face high discrimination, low capacity to work and
earn an own income, dependency on others and less social competence. The categories
formulated during the analysis led to a generalization of barriers into three main
categories: systemic level, individual level and implementation level.
Discussion:
The urbanization, the socio-economic health status, and opportunities for education;
all influence social status and have an impact on the health situation of these individuals.
Cambodia has various difficulties with providing access to people with disabilities,
mostly due to barriers regarding finances, geography, quality of care, poor knowledge
about the rights of PwDs themselves and negative rumors about treatment experiences
at a healthcare center.
Conclusion:
The case-study of Cambodia discussed a problem and categorized a variety of barriers
in accessing public healthcare for a social risk group in a country in the Global
South. This phenomenon can be adapted to situations in other countries.
