Maternal Health Services Utilisation in Panchkhal Municipality, Kavrepalanchok, Nepal

Background Maternal Health is a priority program of Nepal. The low utilization of maternal health services is one of the major contributing factors for high maternal morbidity and mortality in developing countries like Nepal. Objective To explore various maternal health services utilized by women and identify various factors affecting the utilization of maternal health services in Panchkhal Municipality. Method A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 355 reproductive-age women who have given birth in the last 2 years in Panchkhal Municipality. The data collection period was from May to July 2020. A convenient sampling method was used to select the study population. The data analysis was done by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 20.0). Variables were defined by the frequency in numbers and percentages. Result The findings from the study showed that the coverage of the antenatal care (ANC) visit was 77% and among them, 25.6% visited at least 4 antenatal care visits as recommended by the government of Nepal. Out of 355 respondents, 52.4% were delivered in the health institution, and only 20% visited postnatal care after the delivery. Among various factors, lack of treatment facilities and health facilities at a far distance were the most common factors for the underutilization of maternal health services. Conclusion The coverage of maternal health services is still low despite free maternal health services with an incentive scheme. A further detailed investigation is required to find the real scenario of the Panchkhal municipality to under-utilization of maternal health services.

Work-related Respiratory Symptoms and Associated Factors among Cement Factory Workers in Rupandehi District, Nepal

Background Cement factory workers are exposed to cement dust at workplace. It leads to a greater prevalence of chronic respiratory signs and symptoms. Objective To identify the prevalence of Work-related respiratory symptoms, its association with various risk factors, and to assess the outcomes like hospitalization and sickness absenteeism. Method Cross-sectional study was conducted in the Argakhanchi Cement factory among 190 workers with minimum work experience of 1 year. Census method was used for data collection. To assess the respiratory symptoms, sputum samples were collected; smears prepared by pick and smear method, and later stained by Leishman and pap stain. Smears devoid of alveolar macrophages were considered unsatisfactory for evaluation. Result The mean age of respondents with standard deviation was 35.56±11.45 years. The prevalence of Work-related respiratory symptoms was 31.6%. Age, no. of years worked, working in the raw materials department, burner and clinker department, cleaning department and wearing mask were the significant risk factors. On cytological analysis of the sputum sample, mild inflammatory cell noticed in 71.6%, moderate inflammation in 23.7%, and dense inflammation in 4.2%. Fungal spores were seen in 3.7%, fungal pseudohyphae in 0.5%, and bacterial colonies in 27% of the sputum samples. Out of 190 participants, 8(4.2%) of them had to be hospitalized and 17(8.9%) were on sick leave due to respiratory symptoms. Conclusion Pre-employment and periodic medical examination, frequent work shift, training on occupational health and safety, use of appropriate personnel protective equipment is recommended to reduce respiratory symptoms.

Scenario of health camps in Nepal

It has become a rising trend in Nepal to conduct health camps. This article tries to give an overview about the direction to which this aspect of community based service is going to and also points out a few pros and cons related to this. A couple of issues has also been raised like; ethical issues, lack of governing bodies and a lack of national policy, unavailability of data upon health camps and so forth. Above all, this article tries to clarify the importance of conducting health camps in a country like ours and if properly conducted this has a balanced benefit to all.