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Introduction India is responsible for the second-highest maternal deaths and the greatest burden of stillbirths worldwide. The cost of intranatal services is an important determining factor, especially in developing countries like India. Most studies report the cost of delivery from the patient's perspective, but there is a lack of studies from the health system's perspective. This present study aimed to bridge this gap by estimating the overall and unit costs of various types of deliveries at a tertiary-level hospital in Rajasthan, India. Methods The cost estimation of intranatal services was conducted in a tertiary-level teaching hospital in Jaipur, Rajasthan. This cost analysis undertook the health system's perspective, using bottom-up costing methodology. Data on all the resources (capital/recurrent) used for the delivery of intranatal care from April 2020 to March 2021 were collected. Sensitivity analysis was done to account for any variability in cost components on overall intranatal service cost. Results The annual cost of intranatal care services at the tertiary care hospital was INR 149,011,957 (USD 1,988,152). The unit cost per vaginal delivery was INR 8,244.4 (USD 109.9) and the unit cost per cesarean section was INR 10,696.2 (USD 142.7). Among various heads of expenditure, 'human resource' costs were predominant, accounting for 47.7% of the total costs, followed by 'building/space' and 'overhead' costs, accounting for 30.59% and 11.1%, respectively. Conclusion The results may help plan and manage intra-natal care services in Rajasthan. Apart from the judicious utilization of resources, the findings of the study may also serve as a basis for future health economic studies.
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Background and Objectives: Women and newborns are most vulnerable during and immediately after childbirth. The majority of maternal and newborn deaths occurring in developing countries can be attributed to inabilities to access health services, illiteracy, social stigmas, and gender inequalities. Women should be made aware of the danger signs so that health care services can be assessed on time, thus reducing maternal mortality. The objectives of this study were to assess the knowledge about obstetric danger signs and to find out various factors associated with them among pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) clinic at the Rural Health Training Centre (RHTC) attached to a Medical College. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the ANC clinic of the RHTC attached to a medical college of Rajasthan for a period of 4 months and included 353 pregnant women. A pre-designed and pre-tested schedule was used. Mean knowledge scores were computed and knowledge was classified into adequate and inadequate. Descriptive statistics were used and the Pearson Chi-square test was used as a test of significance, taking a P value of < 0.05 as statistically significant. Results: Educational status of pregnant women, antenatal check-up status and gravid status had significant associations with the knowledge of obstetric danger signs. Conclusions: About half of the respondents had adequate knowledge about the obstetrics danger signs. Therefore, there is a strong need of creating awareness in the community by improving access to health care.
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Depression is one of the most common illnesses worldwide, with more than 264 million people affected. Various studies in the elderly population have estimated the prevalence of depression across India, with results ranging from 6% to 62%. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of depression among the elderly population using a Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and to find out the association between various sociodemographic parameters and depression among elderly people. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the field practice area of Urban Health Training Centre (UHTC), attached to Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Medical College, Jaipur from September 2019 to July 2020 among elderly people. Some 250 participants were interviewed. RESULTS: Depression was present in 41.6% of the study participants. Age group, gender, marital status, educational qualification, type of family, financial dependence, socioeconomic status, and presence of morbidity were significantly associated with the presence of depression among study participants (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of depression in the urban elderly population was high (41.6%). By identifying risk factors for depression among the elderly population and screening them on time, we can reduce the severity and burden of the disease to a greater extent.
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CONTEXT: The outbreak and spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has led to a global exigency of colossal and monstrous proportions in terms of public health and economic crisis. Till date, no pharmaceutical agent is known to manage in terms of prevention and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the disease caused by a novel virus. AIMS: The aim of the present work was to understand the underlying disease profile and dynamics that could provide relevant inputs and insight into pathophysiology and prevent further spread and evolve management strategies of COVID-19 patients from data-driven techniques. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A retrospective observational descriptive study was conducted on 29 COVID-19 patients admitted at a premier medical institution of North India in the months of February and March 2020. METHODS: The patients were diagnosed with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected. RESULTS: The mean age of population was 38.8 years with male preponderance, of which two patients were residents of Italy, and others hailed from semi-arid and Western sandy arid regions of Rajasthan (urban population). The major presenting symptom complex of said COVID-19 sample population included fever (48%), cough (31%), and shortness of breath (17%). Most of the patients (83%) had no comorbidity. No clinical correlation (r) could be appreciated between the duration of test positivity and age of afflicted COVID-19 patients (r = -0.0976). CONCLUSIONS: The present evaluation of various facets of the ongoing global pandemic of COVID-19 is an attempt to portray early clinical and epidemiological parameters of the menace of COVID-19 patients admitted at SMS Medical College and Attached Hospitals, Jaipur.
