Health Musakhel

Introduction

Health services provision is absolutely unsatisfactory in Musakhel. Common prevalence of malaria, ARI, and gastrointestinal diseases indicates lack of preventive measures and an inefficient primary health care system. The situation is even worse for women than for men. On the one hand women are culturally deprived of free movement outside their house and consequently they always need some male member of the family to accompany them. On the other hand, health facilities exclusively for women are almost non-existent and there is severe shortage of female health care staff, medical and paramedical. Malnutrition of females is a cultural phenomenon in Pakistan. This not only results in poor health of females, but also increases the burden on secondary health care facilities. There is not a single medical officer, either male or female, in the whole district. The only medical graduate in Musakhel is the District Health Officer who does not provide health care services himself. The only hospital in the district is under construction, hence, unable to provide medical facilities.

 

 

Health Services (1997)

 

No. of Doctors (m/f)

No. of Nurses (m/f)

No. of Paramedical (m/f)

No. of Beds

No. of Units

Hospitals

-

-

-

-

1*

Dispensaries

0

n/a

n/a

N/a

13

RHCs

0

n/a

n/a

N/a

1

BHUs

0

n/a

n/a

N/a

3

Health Auxiliary Unit

0

n/a

n/a

N/a

1

MCH Centres

0

n/a

n/a

N/a

2

Private Clinic

0

n/a

n/a

N/a

0

Total

0

n/a

n/a

N/a

21

Unit/population Ratio

0:247,113

n/a

n/a

N/a

1:11,767

Source: District Health Officer and Medical Superintendent, DHQ Hospital, Musakhel
* Under construction

Health System

In Musakhel, only primary level health services are available. At present, 3 basic health units (BHU), one rural health centre (RHC) , 13 dispensaries, one health auxiliary unit, and 2 mother and child health care centres (MCHC) are established throughout the district. Primary health care includes prevention of diseases through community health programmes, cure of minor diseases, and provision of emergency medical services, while secondary health care includes provision of specialised health services to cure major ailments at the, currently being under construction, District Headquarters Hospital. At present, indoor patient facility is available at the Rural Health Centre in Musakhel with a capacity of 10 beds and at the civil dispensary in Drug with 4 beds.

 

None of the health care facilities in Musakhel employs a college trained medical professional. Only paramedical staff provides health care services to the people. Female medical professionals are either not available or not willing to serve in this rural area. This results in unavailability of professional gynaecological services to the female population of Musakhel.

 

There is no private clinic, according to the local sources, in the whole district. There are a few medical stores that are run by paramedics who prescribe medicine to the patients.

Major Disease Incidence

In Musakhel, the disease pattern changes with the seasons. In summer, malaria is the most prevalent disease together with gastrointestinal diseases. Absence of sewerage systems and improper garbage disposal results in swamps and marshy areas which not only provides mosquitoes ample opportunity to grow, but also contaminates drinking water. Diarrhoea and dysentery are common gastrointestinal diseases. In winter, acute respiratory infections including bronchitis, sore throat, and pneumonia (specially in children) are very common. Apart from these diseases, pulmonary tuberculosis and urinary tract infections are also common. Major paediatric diseases are acute respiratory infections (ARI) and diarrhoea.

Special Health Services

Special health services in Musakhel include the Expanded Programme of Immunisation (EPI) and the Prime Minister’s Programme for Family Planning and Basic Health.

 

The Prime Minister’s Programme for Family Planning and Basic Health was started in 1995. Under this programme local females with minimal qualification, middle school graduates, are employed as Lady Health Workers for a fix remuneration of rupees 1200 per month. They are provided three months of training and they are supposed to collect health statistics on the area, register births and deaths, impart health education, and treat minor ailments like headache, common cold, and flu. They also refer children and pregnant women to the EPI centres for immunisation. The house of the Lady Health Worker is called "health house". These health workers help pregnant women, give them advice and refer them to the gynaecologist – who is not available in Musakhel district – in case of any gynaecological or obstetrics complication.

Administration of Health Services

In Musakhel, a District Health Officer is responsible for primary health care and related facilities like basic health units, dispensaries, and mother and child health care centres. He is also responsible for EPI and the Prime Minister’s Programme for Family Planning and Basic Health.

GO/NGO/private, etc. involvement in Health Development

Although the federal government is providing support to special health services like EPI and the Prime Minister’s Programme for Family Planning and Basic Health in the district, the provincial government is the major actor in the provision of health care services to the people of Musakhel. The private sector’s involvement is limited to the medical stores only. At present, the district headquarters hospital is under construction, after completion the provincial government will be providing secondary health care services as well.

 

 

Health Facility

Loc. Govt.

Prov. Govt.

Fed. Govt.

 

NGO

 

Private

Internat. Donor

 

Total

Hospitals

-

x

-

-

-

-

1*

Civil Dispensaries

-

xxx

-

-

-

-

13

Basic Health Units

-

xxx

-

-

-

-

3

Rural Health Centre

-

xxx

-

-

-

-

1

MCH Centre

-

xxx

-

-

-

-

2

EPI Centre

-

xx

xx

-

-

-

n/a

Family Welfare Clinic

-

x

-

-

-

-

0

Family Planning Clinic

-

x

-

-

-

-

0

Homeopathic Clinic

-

-

-

-

x

-

n/a

Hakeem/Local Medical Practitioner

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

-

 

x

 

-

 

2

Health Houses

-

xx

xxx

-

-

-

 
Chemists

-

-

-

-

xxx

-

n/a

Source: District Health Officer, Musakhel and HMIS
Legend: -

x

xx

xxx

no involvement

minor involvement

substantial involvement

major involvement

* Under construction

Conclusion and major Development Issues

The provision of health care services is quite unsatisfactory in the district. The EPI coverage is low and needs immediate attention. Health statistics are not available at the district level. Although the Health Management Information System (HMIS) has been initiated in the district, its performance requires much improvement. Furthermore, stationery and accessories to run the system efficiently are not being supplied regularly.

 

The district is facing problems in finding female medical staff. There are very few local females paramedics. The consequence is inadequate health services for a half of the total population.

 

To date, there is no hospital in Musakhel, therefore, specialised health services are not available to the people. The medical professionals who were posted in the district have all left. Presently, no practising medical officer is available in the whole district.

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