Creating opportunities for effective health management for vulnerable populations in underserviced areas currently represents one of the core tasks for the global healthcare community. However, the process of providing appropriate healthcare opportunities for vulnerable populations, especially in remote and rural areas, often implies overcoming a plethora of obstacles. The specified concern is particularly prominent for Tanzania, where the delivery of health services is obstructed by a range of sociocultural and socioeconomic issues. Due to the dilemma of choosing between supporting Tanzanian culture and traditions and encouraging a shift toward a healthier community, encouraging the target population to revisit their perceptions after considering the relevant information related to health management becomes excessively difficult.
Supporting other cultures’ practices and traditions is a crucial aspect of encouraging the rights of Tanzanian people for self-actualization and self-expression, as well as their basic right to hold specific beliefs and align themselves with various religions. However, the traditions and cultural standards, as well as religious beliefs of Tanzanian people, play a major role in preventing people from receiving appropriate healthcare services. Specifically, the current public health situation in Tanzania incorporates particularly significant threats to women’s and girls’ health. Driven by misguided concepts of health tied to cultural beliefs and the related traditions, female genital mutilation (FGM) is performed in Tanzania on girls as young as 15 (Ahinkorah et al., 2020). Leading to massive health complications ranging from UTIs to the possibility of labor-related complications and increased likelihood of maternal death, FGM must be removed from the current women’s’ health context of Tanzania (Ahinkorah et al., 2020). However, strong beliefs related to FGM as a supposedly necessary procedure for women to retain their honor prevents healthcare experts from promoting healthy practices and encouraging the abolishment of FGM in Tanzania.
Similarly, cultural perceptions and prejudices causing a biased attitude toward people with STIs complicate access to health for the specified group in Tanzania. Coupled with poor health literacy rates within the Tanzanian social context, the observed trend leads to the exacerbation of health disparities and the increase in STIs (Mwijage Ishungisa et al., 2022). Reports mention that incredibly high rates of AIDS within the Tanzanian community are linked to the specified obstacle (UNICEF, 2019). Therefore, to counteract the observed problem, active health education must be promoted within the Tanzanian community. The proposed program will allow addressing two main concerns, namely, the lack of awareness concerning STIs and the presence of prejudices against people with STIs, particularly, HIV and AIDS patients (Mwijage Ishungisa et al., 2022). It is also expected that the program aimed at an increase in literacy and the promotion of proper STIs prevention along with the provision of the relevant resources, will allow minimizing the current STIs and HIV/AIDS rates within the Tanzanian community.
Since there is an obvious dilemma between enhancing health education within the Tanzanian community and supporting their culture and traditions, the process of delivering the relevant health services is hindered significantly. Therefore, one must find balance between assisting Tanzanian people in maintaining their culture and traditions and accepting the critical healthcare standards that will contribute to creating a healthy and happy community. For this reason, expanding sociocultural discourse, particularly, the one regarding the needs of women and the rights of children, especially in relation to maintaining their bodily integrity and rejection of FGM, must become the core objective. With the focus on the needs of vulnerable populations, particularly, women and girls, and the resulting prevention of harmful health practices such as DGM, as well as improving access to healthcare for significantly marginalized communities, such as patients with STIs.
References
Ahinkorah, B. O., Hagan, J. E., Ameyaw, E. K., Seidu, A. A., Budu, E., Sambah, F., Yaya, S., Torgbenu, E., & Schack, T. (2020). Socio-economic and demographic determinants of female genital mutilation in sub-Saharan Africa: Analysis of data from demographic and health surveys. Reproductive Health, 17(1), 1-14.
Mwijage Ishungisa, A., Meyrowitsch, D. W., Mmbaga, E. J., Leshabari, M. T., & Moen, K. (2022). 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. Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (JIAPAC), 21, 1-8.
UNICEF. (2019). HIV and AIDS fact sheet. UNICEF.org.