Attitudes of Medical Students Toward Sexual Minorities: A Multicentric Survey from the Medical Education Without Discrimination Project.

This study, as a part of the 'Medical Education without Discrimination (MED) Project," focuses on investigating attitudes toward sexual minorities and demographics among Turkish medical students. In the needs assessment phase of MED Project, a survey covering demographics, sexual orientation, attitudes toward sexual minorities, and Index of Attitudes Toward Homosexuals by Hudson & Ricketts (6-point Likert) was conducted among 523 medical students of one public and two nonprofit private medical schools in Istanbul. Of the students, 4.2% declared themselves as non-heterosexual. The findings highlight that medical students are on the verge of homophobia (44th percentile). Homophobia was significantly higher among public university students, males, younger individuals, those who originated from underdeveloped settlements, those who grew up with mothers who did not graduate from university, those who considered themselves less happy, and those without LGBTI+ acquaintances. Of the respondents, 14.1% do not perceive LGBTI+ people as equals within the community, and 75.7% assert that they would conceal their own LGBTI+ identity if they were part of this community. This study highlights that the need for targeted interventions in medical education in line with the global commitment to reduce inequalities and promote inclusive health care.

COVID-19 barriers and response strategies for refugees and undocumented migrants in Turkey.

INTRODUCTION: With more than 40 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally, the pandemic is continuing to severely challenge health systems around the world. Countries with high numbers of refugees face an additional burden on COVID-19 preventive and curative services made available and accessible to refugees. Turkey hosts the largest number of refugees globally, with a total of 4 million in 2020. Over 98% of refugees in Turkey reside in urban areas in large, crowded cities such as Istanbul, Gaziantep, and Hatay posing severe challenges for all health responses, including COVID-19. This study provides insights and analysis on the current situation for refugees, migrants under temporary protection and undocumented migrants in Turkey by focusing on the right to health and access to health care under pandemic conditions. Its main aim is to discuss the challenges and opportunities for COVID-19 responses relating to refugees, migrants under temporary protection and undocumented migrants in Turkey. METHODS: This is a non- systematic and exploratory literature review from academic and grey sources. We reviewed published documents, meeting summaries, media reports/news and policy briefs in Turkish and English on the COVID-19 response in Turkey. RESULTS: Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in Turkey, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has taken various steps to provide health care for all residents. However, several challenges arise when providing health care to refugees, migrants under temporary protection and other undocumented migrants including language barrier in accessing reliable information and access to health services for existing chronic conditions. CONCLUSION: While refugees, migrants under temporary protection and undocumented migrants have been granted access to services for COVID-19 related health problems, social and cultural barriers remain beyond the current legislation. Solidarity and whole-of-society inclusive approaches should always be the guiding principles in the COVID-19 response.