Direct discrimination against LGBTI patients rare in healthcare institutions

The vast majority of healthcare workers in Montenegro are willing to provide equal healthcare to LGBTI patients, and direct discrimination is a rare occurrence in institutions, according to research by the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) Social Center and LGBT Forum Progress.

The NGO Social Center announced that the research focuses on the experiences of healthcare workers working with the LGBTI community.

As they said, 119 healthcare workers from all three regions of Montenegro participated in the research, including specialist doctors (34,5 percent), nurses and technicians (53,8 percent), general practitioners (8,4 percent), and physiotherapists.

"The results show that the vast majority of healthcare workers are willing to provide equal healthcare - 94,1 percent of respondents stated that they have never felt uncomfortable working with LGBTI patients, while 80,7 percent support the equal rights of LGBTI patients to quality healthcare," the statement says.

The NGO Social Center said that direct discrimination is rare, stating that 85,7 percent of respondents had never witnessed discriminatory behavior towards LGBTI patients by medical staff.

However, as they stated, the research identified significant systemic shortcomings.

"Over half of respondents (54,6 percent) were never educated about the health needs of LGBTI people during formal education, while 73,9 percent did not participate in additional training after graduation, and 10,1 percent explicitly stated that they have no plans for training in the future," the statement said.

It is stated that no respondent confirmed the existence of written protocols or guidelines for working with LGBTI patients in their institution.

As pointed out by the NGO Social Center, it is a worrying finding that 6,7 percent of healthcare workers assess that the physical environment of their institution is not private and safe enough for LGBTI patients.

"Healthcare workers recognize the need for improvement - 48,7 percent are requesting written guidelines and protocols, and 33,6 percent cite the need for professional training," the statement said.

The NGO Social Center said that the biggest obstacles identified in their work were patients' fear of discrimination (42,9 percent), lack of education of healthcare staff (27,7 percent), and the absence of clear protocols and guidelines (18,5 percent).

They said that, on the other hand, the research also documents the presence of extreme views among people whose primary duty is to care for the health of all citizens.

"Some healthcare workers have expressed openly discriminatory attitudes: from extreme homophobia, to pathologizing LGBTI identity, to denying existing discrimination," the statement said.

One of the authors of the research, Milica Špajak, said that these comments are not just personal opinions, but represent a direct threat to the safety, dignity and health of LGBTI people seeking medical help.

"A healthcare professional who considers a patient's sexual orientation or gender identity to be a 'psychiatric problem' violates basic principles of medical ethics, international medical standards, and basic human rights," Špajak pointed out.

The statement states that, based on the research results, key recommendations have been defined, which include the development of protocols and guidelines for working with LGBTI patients, the inclusion of content on marginalized social groups in the curricula of medical schools and faculties, and the organization of professional training.

The NGO Social Center said that these recommendations include establishing a system of continuous professional education, adopting anti-discrimination policies in all health institutions, and strengthening cooperation with civil society organizations.

The research was conducted within the project "Health for All: Improving Health Practices for LGBTI Persons in Montenegro" with financial support from the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights.