Medical Education: a Preference by Parents for their Children in a Private Medical College

Occupations which require high educational attainment, are well-compensated and are held in high public esteem such as physicians, lawyers, engineers, scientists and professors are largely considered to be upper middle class. Education serves as perhaps the most important value and also the most dominant entry barrier of the upper middle class This article examines some of the factors or determinants which enable the parents for choosing medical profession for their children specially the females. To see the social determinants [profession, occupation] of parents for choice of medical profession by gender In Private Medical College for their children. A descriptive study. This study was conducted from 2009 to 2011 at Islamic International Medical College, Rawalpindi. This was a descriptive study. Sampling was universal as all the students of year 2009, 2010 and 2011 who succeeded in getting admission were included in the study. Data was collected through a questionnaire from the record mentioning Class year' Gender, Fathers Occupation. Data was entered and analyzed in SPSS version 17.0. Tables and graphs were made for data presentation and percentages and cross tabulation was done among variables. The ratio of female to male students is on continuous increase. The main segments of the society who opted for the private medical education for their children during these three years were, government servants and businessmen i.e., 33.3% each, Doctors 15%, Miscellaneous 10%, Engineers 8% Agriculturist 2.5% and advocates/Judges 1%. There is progressive increase of female students from 2009 to 2011. It was 65% in 2009, 70% in 2010 and 75% in 2011. Medical profession and medical education is cherished more by the parents for females. All segments of the educated and affording class of society whether government employees' business man, doctors, engineers, are investing in female human resource

Preventive medicine department, serves better in hospitals

To measure the current status of preventive activities in civil and military hospitals. To compare the quantum of preventive and curative activities in the hospitals. To make recommendations for promotion of preventive activities to reduce the curative burden from the hospitals. This was a cross-sectional study. Universal sampling. All the major military and public sector hospitals having bed strength more than 400 in Rawalpindi were included in the study. All the preventive and curative work was taken into account. A structured questionnaire was developed and data regarding the quantum of work was collected from all the four major Military and civil hospitals having bed strength more than 400 beds through registers and annual reports of the hospital and was analyzed in the form of frequencies, tabulation, cross tabulation, percentages and was displayed in tables and graphs using SPSS [10.5], Microsoft Excel and calculus. Only seven percent work is preventive and ninety three percent is curative. In the preventive activity MH is marginally higher than the rest of the hospitals. In all the hospitals among the preventive activities 31% are antenatal visits, 20% tetanus toxoid injection, 19% BOG, Growth monitoring 13%, Measles injection 11% and family planning 6% in all the hospitals. Ante natal activities in the army sector hospitals are more prominent 39-44% and also in the public sector 17-26%. Next to the antenatal are tetanus toxoids to pregnant ladies which range from 16-35% in military and 16-20% in the public sector hospitals. Growth monitoring is more efficiently carried out in the Rawalpindi General Hospital i.e. 17% while in others 7-12%. Family Planning services are delivered very poorly only 9% in RGH and 6% in DHQ, zero% in CMH and 5% in MH. Measles vaccination is carried out efficiently in DHQ 27%, 11% in RGH and 8% in MH and again poorly 3% in CMH. BCG is 27% in DHQ, 20% in MH, 17% in RGH and 10% in CMH. The study show that hospitals are showing very poor performance in preventive aspect and this is the reason that countries like Pakistan are facing economic burden on the national exchequer and this burden will keep on increasing if no appropriate action is taken

Road traffic injuries in Pakistan: challenges in estimation through routine hospital data

Injuries are becoming one of the most important public health challenges at the dawn of the new century. It is estimated that almost one fifth of the total global burden of disease is due to injuries. Road traffic injuries [RTIs] are a leading cause. This is a cross-sectional survey based on hospital records of Rawalpini General Hospital for reference year 2005. The yearly hospital record showed that a total of 119,214 persons visited the emergency during 2005. Twenty-four percent [28,679] of these cases were retained in the emergency department for treatment and 64% 18229 cases of the retained cases were shifted to concerned wards for further management. Injuries amounted to a total of 1,244 [6.8%] cases were recorded in the ER as RTIs. The proportion of injured males was [71%]. The surgical/orthopaedics presentations were 33% of the total ER cases with injuries. The amount of missing information was [11%] and the deficiency of the data regarding emergency admissions indicated flaws in the information systems. The findings surprisingly showed that RTIs have a very low proportion in the total presentations and this leads to doubts about the information systems at the hospital. The inability to follow the progress of these cases indicates that the data is under reported. Furthermore the small percentage of cases requiring retention in ER and even smaller requiring admission leads to the conclusion that a majority of the presenting cases in the ER may be outpatient cases, who for lack of an evening outpatient clinic, are coming to the ER. Further investigation is required involving other public/private sector hospitals to estimate the magnitude of the problem and comprehensiveness of the relevant data is also required

Knowledge, attitudes and practices to lifestyle risk factors for coronary heart disease [CHD] and diabetes amongst South Asians in North Kirklees, England - a focus group study

The aim of the study was to identify and explore main issues relating to knowledge, attitudes and practices to lifestyle risk factors for coronary heart disease [CHD] and Diabetes amongst South Asians in North Kirklees, UK. A comparative study. The study was conducted in North Kirklees, UK from April 2001 to March 2002. A focus group approach from qualitative research methodology was used. South Asians already attending community centers for different activities were selected randomly. Group discussions were taped and translated. Main issues were identified by analyzing these transcripts using qualitative methodology. A variety of attitudes and different levels of knowledge and practices to lifestyle risk factors for coronary heart disease [CHD] and Diabetes have been observed. The main issues identified were language barrier, lack of individually tailored information, cultural and religious barriers such as lack of women-only facilities. Other barriers which have been highlighted by the study were diet, lack of physical activity and stress. Stress has also been identified as an important cause of CHD leading to Diabetes especially in South Asians [SA]. The health care professionals need to be aware of knowledge, attitudes and culturally sensitive issues of South Asians to potential diseases in order to undertake effective preventive measures by avoiding being prejudice. Inspite of provision of communication assistants South Asians still face problems accessing health and leisure services due to language barriers. The issue of stress amongst South Asians needs to be recognized as an important issue. Hence it is important to assess the health and social needs of SA independently in order to deliver high quality and effective health care

Hospitals; caring and curing palaces, or threats of infections for the community from infectious waste

To know the amount of total waste generated in the hospital daily, to know the types of waste and the amount of infectious waste generated daily, and to know about knowledge and attitude of the health care workers, doctors nurses and sanitary staff about hospital waste. The study area is the Pakistan Railway Hospital a tertiary level care Hospital consisting of 380 beds and all the essential Departments. the study was conducted from June 2006 to September 2006. This was a cross sectional study Single tertiary level care hospital was studied due to limitation of time and resources. Data was collected by using structured questionnaire and weighing of one day [24 hours] waste from all the units. Other relevant data was collected by structured interviews, meetings, discussions. waste generated in twenty four hours is 229.75 Kg. The average waste generated per patient per day is 1.05 Kg, the quantity of infectious waste generated is 104.8 Kg i.e. 0.478 Kg per patient per day. Quantity of waste generated in order of maximum to minimum waste was Gynae/Obs 1.29Kg, Paediatrics 1.15Kg, Surgery 1.13 followed by Orthopaedics 0.80Kg, ENT 0.71 Medicine 0.48 and ophthalmology 0.4Kg all per bed per day. The responses show that all the categories of hospital workers are nearly not having the proper knowledge about the hazards and therefore unable to give suggestion or solution of the problem. Health care waste management in Railway Hospital is in bad shape. The general awareness on the subject is very much lacking both by the producers as well as handlers of waste. There is acute need for training and sensitization of managers, staff and sanitary staff for safe disposal of waste