06/05/2021 | Writer: Yiğit E Korkmaz
"We frequently witness the discriminatory statements of our colleagues against LGBTI+ patients, sometimes the same discriminatory statements are being used for us."
Turkish Medical Association Assistant and Young Specialist Physicians Branch held an online "Being An Assistant Physician" workshop on April 10-11, 2021.
In the workshop, where problems such as difficult working conditions of young physicians, unqualified training processes and gender inequality in the fields of study were discussed in detail; the problems experienced by LGBTI+ assistant physicians were reported as follows under the heading "Fundamental Problems":
1. The dominance of gender inequality and heterosexist attitudes in medical academy and workplaces, the frequent use of discriminatory, derogatory, homophobic language in work environment, and the insistence on normalizing and continuing this,
"We are pushed out of the system as some patients and healthcare workers who do not comply with the bi-gender hospital and healthcare system."
2. As a result of the male-dominated gender norms in the field of medicine, sexual orientations are not accepted in working environments. The stress that is created on people due to the inability to express themselves in coordinance with the anxiety of being non-accepted and internal crises caused by the inability to express oneself,
"We, as LGBTI+ individuals, have to act like other people in order to avoid exclusion from the work-life."
3. Physicians are unable to assume an appropriate approach to LGBTI+ individuals due to lack of knowledge and as a result, trust in physicians decreases,
"We frequently witness the discriminatory statements of our colleagues against LGBTI+ patients, sometimes the same discriminatory statements are being used for us."
4. Disregarding the sexual orientation of LGBTI+ individuals. The recommendations and advice imposed by superiors that becomes frustrating,
"We are subjected to social oppression, insults and exclusion in our professional lives as LGBTI+ assistant doctors, as well as our daily lives. In addition to this, we live with the threat of mobbing and/or expulsion, and we have to act like people we are not in our professional life."
5. Marginalization of individuals if they live their identity openly, exposure to incidents of violence and harassment and inadequate protective regulations regarding these incidents. Failure to implement even existing regulations effectively.
"As LGBTI+s, we cannot seek our rights in cases of discrimination because there are no written or social rules to protect us."
“Crimes against discrimination against LGBTI+'s needs to be clearly identified and measures should be taken for the field of healthcare"
The workshop report included the following solutions for the problems experienced by LGBTI+ assistant physicians:
Forming independent workgroups in professional chambers to support LGBTI+'s and to carry out awareness-raising activities in society,
Organizing mandatory trainings for all healthcare workers in terms of the rights of LGBTI+ individuals and the approach to LGBTI+'s during the medical education process and post-graduation education,
Clearly identifying the crimes of discrimination against LGBTI+'s and taking measures for the field of healthcare.
Tags: human rights, labour, health
