PREVENTIVE MEDICINE DEPARTMENT;

Abstract

Objectives: To measure the current status of preventive activities in civil and military hospitals. To compare the quantum ofpreventive and curative activities in the hospitals. To make recommendations for promotion of preventive activities to reduce the curative burdenfrom the hospitals. Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study. Sampling Technique: Universal sampling. All the major military and publicsector hospitals having bed strength more than 400 in Rawalpindi were included in the study. All the preventive and curative work was taken intoaccount. Methodology: A structured questionnaire was developed and data regarding the quantum of work was collected from all the fourmajor Military and civil hospitals having bed strength more than 400 beds through registers and annual reports of the hospital and was analyzedin the form of frequencies, tabulation, cross tabulation, percentages and was displayed in tables and graphs using SPSS (10.5), Microsoft Exceland calculus. Results: Only seven percent work is preventive and ninety three percent is curative. In the preventive activity MH is marginallyhigher than the rest of the hospitals. In all the hospitals among the preventive activities 31% are antenatal visits, 20 % tetanus toxoid injection,19% BCG, Growth monitoring 13%, Measles injection 11% and family planning 6% in all the hospitals. Ante natal activities in the army sectorhospitals are more prominent 39-44% and also in the public sector 17-26%. Next to the antenatal are tetanus toxoids to pregnant ladies whichrange from 16-35% in military and 16-20 % in the public sector hospitals. Growth monitoring is more efficiently carried out in the RawalpindiGeneral 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 % inCMH 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 is27% in DHQ, 20% in MH, 17% in RGH and 10% in CMH. Conclusions: The study show that hospitals are showing very poor performance inpreventive aspect and this is the reason that countries like Pakistan are facing economic burden on the national exchequer and this burden willkeep on increasing if no appropriate action is taken.