Language as a Barrier to Health Care for Oromo Speaking Patients in Hospitals: A Case Study on Jimma and Wollega Public Hospitals

Abstract

A language concordance between doctors and their patients is very important to exchanging information, expressing emotion, instructing patients, and providing health education. But when they are mutually unintelligible because they don’t have common language between them, language has become to be a barrier rather than serving at the arena they need it. When language is a barrier, it can interfere with wrong scheduling appointments, hinder the compilation of an accurate medical history, or block understanding of a health provider’s instructions and so on and so forth. The aim of this study is to explore language as a barrier to health care for Afaan Oromoo speaking patients in Jimma University Specialized Hospital and Wollaga University Referral Hospital. The study was a qualitative research method and data were collected from patients, patients’ family/guardian, and health serves providers through interview method. Focus group discussion was conducted with health service providers and the hospital managements. The findings of the study has revealed that there is no common language between much patients and their health serves providers and/or no professional interpreters between them as well and therefore, the patients and their family or guardians were exposed to delaying treatment, compromising their well-being, leaving the hospital without getting medication being disappointed, and losing their life where the situation is to the worst. It is advisable that if hospitals consider establishing a centralized program and committee with executive level to coordinate services relating to language as a part of the organization’s commitment to language sensitive health care. It is better if financial incentives are created to promote, develop and maintain accessibility to qualified health serves and professional interpreters.