Dignified and non-discriminatory heath care: does anyone even know what it means?

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Andrew Suguru Sato, a medical student. He is affiliated to the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

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Analyzing the current situation of Brazil, we are not prepared to deliver a dignified and non-discriminatory heath care for LGBTQI+ population. Firstly, because only a small portion of population of Brazil know what means LGBTQI+. Secondly, because only by pity we cannot deliver that. And thirdly, do we know what we really need? Honestly, I did not know what is QI+. I search it and here is it: Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Allies, Asexual, Pansexual. Wow. Probably, most of doctors of last generation do not know or do not like this, because at that period, they did not accept LBGTQI+. Then, what is happening now is in one side, people with mind like this and in other people that feel pity and defend that group. So, the most of people have each position, but the reason of this position means that they are influenced by outer thoughts. Therefore, if an LGBTQI+ patient comes to the clinic and doctor says: “I will do the physic exam, can I touch your arm?” The patient would say: “Will you touch me only for see the disease? I have my rights; I won’t permit it. Hey, someone, this doctor is trying to rape me.” I am not exaggerating; you can see a Brazilian politic saying it in an discuss. When a doctor hears this from a patient, even conscious of his duties of doctor, he will not attend any more as it should. As Durkheim said: “The human is a human first of all and human never are totally rational”, further when hear a phases like that. When the doctor has the pity with this type of patient, he will think: “Oh, what a poor patient, he is criticized by the society all day and now he have a disease, I will take that medicine which is so expensive, but only for you I will pay it.” And if the doctor is the person that does not like LGBTQI+ patient, you already know what would happen. So why I think we are further with this type of deliver. It because we lack respect. Respect is not only you deliver a non-discriminatory and dignified care and criticize the patient later or say rich person is rich because he steals or gossips the hole of the old pants. So, before we do this care, we lack respect with human. We lack with stop thinking only in us and think about others. The future is mystery, the past is history but what am I doing now? My solution I though and I am doing is by the IFMSA, educating the medicine students, talking with population and increasing the frequency that people talk about their philosophies. Because sometimes two persons diverge, because they do not talk, they do not stand in other position, do not comprises and end up fighting.  The start can be small, but if do not start do not achieve.