Pakistan: Nowshera Health Centre

Morbidity Report from 1st July to September 30th 2014

The center treated a total of 2894 patients from 1^st July to Sep 30^th 2014 for a variety of medical conditions. This low turnout can be attributed to the month of Ramadhan in July. Although the majority of our patients come from the IDP community, we also cater to the local populace who find it convenient to seek treatment from here as compared to government health facilities that do not issue free medicine. A total of 2532 (87.4%) were women, 362 (12.6%) were children. Of the children 227(62.7%) were male children while the rest 135 (37.3%) were girl children. There were no adult male patients. Although this is primarily a women’s clinic, we do not turn away any male patient should they present at the premises with a medical problem of primary health level.   
 
MCH Statistics: In this reporting period, 266 women sought antenatal care while 155 came for postnatal follow ups. Family planning services were provided to 96 women and in this period 26 women sought advice and guidance for both primary and secondary infertility issues with the latter showing a regular dominance since the beginning, a fact that we have often speculated to be attributable to their depressed state of mind in lieu of their current circumstances of being uprooted from their homes and displaced to a new place. Given their displaced status, their eagerness to expand their families is both surprising and sad at the same time. A majority cite the reason to have a child despite their uncertain living conditions is to compensate the loss of a child or two due to terrorist attacks that seem to have affected every second family we come across.

Distribution of Types of MCH Services Provided

The main services sought in our MCH center are a range of gynecological pathologies which were provided to  934 women. They include

Primary Health Statistics: A total of 1333 women and children were treated for a variety of primary health problems; most of which are the result of poverty and unhygienic living conditions of the patients living in this community. The most common complaints were diarrhea (12.3%) and generalized body aches, weakness and malaise (12 %). The latter are a group of symptoms that often have no real pathology so we take these as a sign of the depressive circumstance they live in. Hence we prescribe these patients vitamins as placebos that augment their poor diets. Other ailments presented were:

Non-RTA related injuries were presented by 15 patients. Our location of the main road means that we are often presented with road traffic accidents every now and then. In this 3-month period 12 cases were provided with immediate emergency care of which 5 were referred to tertiary care hospitals for advanced treatment mainly open reduction of broken bones.  The total number of referrals, minus those made for RTA during these three months were 30 patients.
 
Pathology Lab Statistics: The pathology lab conducted a total of 443 routine investigative tests in this three month period.  The table below shows the breakdown

For additional details please find attached the Morbidity Matrix as Annex 1 in the downloadable PDF report.