Children in Rural Environment

Approximately 65% of our population lives in rural areas. I am sharing some of the facts which have bearing on child life in the rural areas.

• The relatively higher infant and child mortality rate in rural areas is an index of prevailing unhygienic sanitation facilities and other health facilities.
• Lack of safe water supply and excreta disposal predisposes to gastrointestinal disease.
• Roads and play areas are dusty.
• Distance from nearest MCH centre or a rural dispensary is often quite long.
• Meat and poultry are mostly sold or served to guests and so these are relatively lacking in the diet in rural areas.
• Literacy is much less in the rural population, so that the state of prevailing knowledge about health of pregnant and lactating mothers and that of nurturing the infants and children is poor.

However there are some bright features in the village as well.

• Breast feeding rate is much higher and infants are breast fed for a longer duration with obvious advantages, weaning is often delayed.
• Unlike infants in urban slums, rural children are exposed to the sun which is a source of natural ultraviolet rays.Hence the incidence of rickets in the rural child is much less than in the urban slums.
• Because of simplicity of life, the child and family stay together most of the time during childhood period, facilitating bonding and learning to share responsibilities.

Female Medical Doctor has been hired for our Medical Facility at Mardan

I am glad to let you all know that we have met the biggest challenge faced by our project i.e. hiring of a Female Medical Doctor. Finally after conducting interviews we have hired Dr. Asma (Gynaecologist) as a medical doctor in our facility at Mardan. She has joined us in August 2009. Adding to info, her husband has also joined our medical facility UMTrust Hospital to serve rural area residents. Hopefully now the number of patients benefiting from our project will increase.

Our results show that 53% of the total patients treated are female, 29% are children, and rest are male. It is amazing to see such enormous ratio of female patients in the underserved rural area of Mardan. This is the rare care in the rural areas of Pakistan where women are just confined to their homes and treated by quacks instead of a medical professional. Now the ratio of female patients will definitely incline as we are successful in hiring a female medical Doctor in Mardan.

Advantages of serving Rural Area as a Female Medical Doctor

The recruitment of Medical Doctors in rural health is important issue. And special efforts have to be made to recruit female medical doctors for rural area.

A rural woman doctor has to juggle different issues like balancing multiple roles, running the household, managing work responsibilities, difficulties with maternity leave, opportunity for spousal employment and the aim of specializing. Besides all these issues, serving as a female doctor in rural areas has its own advantages. I will be discussing some of them which I have seen practically.

• Rural Doctors are better than urban doctors because they definitely have to practice most of the things themselves instead of just relying on specialists. It makes their knowledge increased in their field.
  

• The specializing in the field is also an issue for the female Doctors. But nowadays via ICT, distant learning is making everything possible and giving you stronger ways to achieve your aims.
  

• You also develop pride when you develop skills. Working in rural areas independently gives you a sort of pride and confidence and makes yourself able to manage a lot of things.
  

• The feeling of being wanted, the feeling of being needed, appreciated and respected is something so powerful, that you may fall victim to it without really realizing it. Here you have an opportunity to be felt as if you are wanted whole heartily which automatically motivates you to serve this underserved community.
  

• When you are doing rural medicine, it does not matter what skills you have, you have to do pretty much general things. You end up doing everything. Being a rural doctor is about more than just clinical medicine like supervising the building of new hospital wards, nurse training e.t.c. So you get a chance to get acquainted to other fields also.
  

• You cant do all the wonderful tests but can practice good medicines without all the wonderful tests. And this way you can polish and test your skills easily.
  

• Patients in rural areas are friendly, warm and simple. Female doctors feel more at ease treating patients in friendly and simple environment of rural area.
  

• Security is an issue everywhere but rural areas are still considered safer than urban environments. You get beautiful rural environment to live. And it is a good place to raise your children because of the relatively safety and a calm environment.
  

• The fact that doctors houses are close to the hospital is considered as an advantage. You work so close to your home, that you can pop down at lunch/tea time and have your lunch and even do your house work if you want. And this way its very easy to attend your family without ignoring your profession.
  

• And there is no comparison of the happiness one gets, when any female doctor gets a chance to serve her own area where she has grown up.