Reproductive health excites doctors

Reproductive health is a cross cutting theme of medical and social sciences whereas its training is essential to equip medical graduates to address the behavioral disorders, experts said here on Wednesday at a seminar held at Dow University of Health Science (DUHS). The seminar was organized to highlight importance of reproductive health taught as a separate subject to the MBBS students at DUHS.
It was preceded by Life Time Achievement Award conferred Maj Gen Dr Zafar Ul Islam (Dow Alumni) and Director of Medicine, Armed Force Medical Institute by the students and faculty staff of DUHS.
Prof Subhana Tayyab, Chairperson Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Civil Hospital, Karachi, while addressing the participants of the seminar said that one in every 38 women die from pregnancy-related causes in our country. There is also a much higher incidence rate of delivery related morbidity and relevant disabilities with severe repercussions on mental, emotional and psychological well being of the concerned women. “The situation in our context is all the more serious as age of child bearing is under 16 years for most of our rural women,” said the speaker.
In global scenario half a million women die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth while tens of millions of others suffer from non-fatal health problems, physical and psychological. Dr Subhana said that vast majority of the causes of maternal and child morbidity and mortality are preventable or readily treatable with simple, inexpensive technologies and approaches.
“The hard-hit are the poor and the rural women and a significant number of them are not dying because of diseases we cannot treat but because society has yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving,” she said.
The senior gynecologist said focus on promotion of health practice needed to be complimented with sensitization and education of medical students on the holistic approach and scientific handling of reproductive health to reduce infant, perinatal morbidity and mortality alongwith maternal morbidity and mortality in Pakistan.
Dr Rukhsana Rubeen, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, DMC and Coordinator Medical Education Cell, highlighted relevance of integrating reproductive health in MBBS curriculum at DUHS. She said that the objectives was to demonstrate the difference between cognitive and affective learning, identify the needs of integration of holistic reproductive health (RH) courses at undergraduate medical and nursing curriculum and to share the process of development, assessment and implementation of RH modules with MBBS Curriculum
Prof Raza-ur-Rahman, Chairperson, Psychiatry Department said that the right of men and women to be informed of and have access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of fertility regulation of their choice is universally accepted and is also conformed under our religion. The right of access to appropriate health care services will enable women to go safely through pregnancy and childbirth and provide couples with the best chance of having a healthy infant, he said.