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Objective: To critically appraise the literature characterizing unique health needs, barriers to access healthcare services and propose research as well as programmatic priorities for interventions to overcome them. Method: Using scoping review, we appraised peer-reviewed published studies and gray literature from three databases, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar. The literature included a total of 67 articles met the inclusion criteria for a review. Results: The review highlights that transgender individuals live on the margins of society, facing stigma, discrimination, socio-economic and educational exclusion, violence, and poor health including mental health. Transgender individuals experience difficulties accessing quality healthcare services, whether general health needs or specific to their gender needs. Key barriers to access health services reported were discrimination at healthcare facilities, lack of treatment protocols, low health literacy, and poor healthcare-seeking behaviors among the transgender individuals. Other barriers include: their education, gender-based violence, socio-economic barriers, lack of health insurance, exclusion from social protection schemes, and health systems barriers. Conclusion: Transgender individuals in India are deprived of right to healthcare. A rights-based approach for programming and research should be prioritized to address barriers to healthcare services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Respectful maternity care (RMC) is not only the marker of quality maternity care but also ensures the protection of basic human rights of every child-bearing woman. This paper discusses the assessment of RMC services during the intrapartum period at public health care facilities in Gujarat state. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional research design was used for the study. The data were collected from three different levels of public health facilities such as primary health center (PHC), community health center (CHC), and district hospital (DH) in one of the districts in Gujarat. A standardized tool developed by the United States Agency for International Development based on the RMC charter was used for data collection. A total of 41 pregnant women across three public health facilities were observed during intrapartum care. Findings: Most women experienced disrespectful intrapartum care provided at the public health care facilities; however, at-least two performance standards of the RMC charter were met during intrapartum care at each public health care facility. Comparatively, the PHC demonstrated higher RMC performance compliance than DH and the CHC. Most often violations of RMC standards included beneficiaries were not greeted, privacy not maintained, they were not encouraged to ask questions, and support not provided during labor. Conclusion: Respectful maternity care is evidently not practiced in public health care facilities. Designing comprehensive behavioral training on RMC, especially for primary, secondary, and tertiary care physicians and nursing staff can improve the adaption of RMC standards in respective public health care facilities. Positive experiences of intrapartum care can potentially improve the uptake of maternal care facilities. Further research is needed to understand local contextual factors, social norms, and patient-provider interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]