In November 2021, Ground Truth Solutions (GTS) and IOM Needs and Population Monitoring (NPM) embarked on a series of qualitative interviews with persons with disabilities across Rohingya refugee and host community populations with the aim of better informing and supporting agencies in developing disability-inclusive programmes and engagement activities.
Preliminary findings from this research include:
- Long wait times, overcrowded health facilities, and far distances to the clinics make access to healthcare difficult and oftentimes outright painful for people with disabilities.
- Respondents express frustration that the treatments and medications they receive do not treat their illnesses, and therefore, they are less likely to seek healthcare when needed.
- Prohibitive costs of treatment are a barrier for persons with disabilities seeking medical treatment, resulting in many borrowing money from their community to access healthcare. Some respondents mention selling their rations to pay for their treatment.
- Healthcare provision has largely been unaffected by the coronavirus pandemic. In some cases, access has even improved since the start of the pandemic – likely due to movement restrictions causing fewer people to go to clinics..
- Participants report that they want to share their experiences, discuss their problems and have their voices listened to more.
