Plant Root Hair in Tap Water: A Potential Cause for Diagnostic Confusion

Plant root hairs are commonly found artifacts in parasitology specimens and may be confused with helminthes by an untrained eye. We report a case of brain tuberculoma where the tissue sample was contaminated with root hair derived from tap water; the presence of this root hair, which mimicked a larva, led to diagnostic confusion. Therefore, tap water should be considered a source of root hair and vegetable matter

Out-of-Pocket Expenditure on Delivery Care in Public and Private Health Sectors – A Study in a Rural District of Pakistan

Pakistan witnessed a significant improvement in maternal health outcomes during the past two decades. However, persistent urban-rural and socio-economic inequalities exist in access to maternal healthcare services across the country. The objective of this study was to estimate out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) on delivery care by women in the public and private health sectors in RajanPur district. This was a cross-sectional study conducted, among 368 randomly selected mothers who had childbirths from 1st October to 31st December 2020. The study applied multi-stage random sampling technique to select the study participants. The results showed that about two-thirds of mothers preferred public hospitals for most recent delivery. The percentage of cesarean deliveries conducted in private hospitals (43.8%) was 4.7 times higher than in public hospitals (9.3%). About 99% of mothers incurred OOPE during delivery care, and the mean OOPE incurred during delivery care was PKR 2840 (US$17.75) in public hospitals and PKR 25596 (US$159.9) in private hospitals. OOPE on cesarean delivery in private hospitals (PKR 39654.7, US$247.8) was 2.5 times higher than the public hospitals (PKR16111.9, US$100.69), whereas OOPE incurred on normal delivery care in private hospitals (PKR14339, US$89.62) was 9.5 times higher than OOPE in public hospitals(PKR 1501.4, US$9.38).To conclude, the findings and recommendations drawn from the research would provide some insights to health policymakers and planners in developing an integrated and viable maternal healthcare program in Pakistan

INTRADEPARTMENTAL CONSULTATION CONFERENCE - A GOOD QUALITY CONTROL PRACTICE AND A PROBLEM-SOLVING ACTIVITY

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of intradepartmental consultation conference (IDC) as a good quality control measure and problem-solving activity in a busy histopathology department.Methods: This study was done at the histopathology department of a tertiary care hospital over a period of 6 years from 2011 to 2016. IDC is routinely held at 2 pm daily on multi-header microscope. All the difficult and problematic cases are discussed. Discussed cases with the recommendations of IDC are recorded. The cases were extracted from the record of IDC being maintained since 2011. All the record sheets were analysed and the cases were divided organ and system wise.Results: A total of 5766 (6.5%) cases were discussed in this 6-year period of a total of 89,253 cases reported at our centre. Of these, 2198 (38%) were solved on first viewing, 1783 (31%) in the second viewing and 1691 (29%) in thethird viewing. In total, 98% of the cases were resolved until the third viewing, leaving only 94 (2%) cases in which further studies were recommended. A variable number of pathologists were present in the meeting, and an average of4 was present in majority of the occasions.Conclusion: IDC is a good quality control measure to ensure quality in a busy histopathology department and an effective problem-solving activity.Key words: Intradepartmental consultation, histopathology, cance

We won\u27t go there: Barriers to accessing maternal and newborn care in district Thatta, Pakistan

Accessibility and utilization of healthcare plays a significant role in preventing complications during pregnancy, labor, and the early postnatal period. However, multiple barriers can prevent women from accessing services. The aim of this study was to explore the multifaceted barriers that inhibit women from seeking maternal and newborn health care in Thatta, Sindh, Pakistan. This study employed an interpretive research design using a purposive sampling approach. Pre-tested, semi-structured interview guides were used for data collection. The data were collected through eight focus group discussions with men and women, and six in-depth interviews with lady health workers and analyzed through thematic analysis. The study identified individual, sociocultural, and structural-level barriers that inhibit women from seeking maternal and newborn care. Individual barriers included mistrust towards public health facilities and inadequate symptom recognition. The three identified sociocultural barriers were aversion to biomedical interventions, gendered imbalances in decision making, and women\u27s restricted mobility. The structural barriers included ineffective referral systems and prohibitively expensive transportation services. Increasing the coverage of healthcare service without addressing the multifaceted barriers that influence service utilization will not reduce the burden of maternal and neonatal mortality. As this study reveals, care seeking is influenced by a diverse array of barriers that are individual, sociocultural, and structural in nature. A combination of capacity development, health awareness, and structural interventions can address many if not all of these barriers