Improving Health Care Waste Management in Africa: Action Research on how can Staff of Makerere University Hospital be involved in overcoming their Occupational Hazards?

Background: Action research is a participatory, democratic process concerned with developing practical knowledge in the pursuit of worthwhile human purposes. In a health care setting, numbers of people go there for prevention, treatment, and care including rehabilitation. All these are vulnerable to the hazardous wastes which are generated within such a setting if not properly managed. Health care settings become more detrimental places where diseases can be transmitted and pollutants to the natural environment thus becoming harmful to the whole community at large. The research is aimed at creating both staff and clients with a conducive environment to work and live in with reduced chances of morbidity, injury, or harm occurring secondary to poor waste management. Methodology: This study set out to identify the health-related challenges faced by Makerere University Hospital, determine the causes of poor health care wastes management, and setting up the appropriate mitigating solutions. Data was generated using interviews for primary data and documents focused on group discussions for secondary data. Multi-voting and nominal techniques were used to identify the priority health problem. A problem and solution tree were used to provide an overview of all the known causes and effects to the identified problem and their solutions. Results: Most of the respondents were women 26(52%) and men were 24(48%). These were Classified into staff with clinical background 32(64%) and non-clinical staff 18(36%). Several problems were listed among which included a need to have an administrator who is medical personnel. Conclusion and recommendations: Poor health care waste management was the most pressing problem in Makerere University Hospital. Collaborating with the hospital community to address the poor waste management approaches, helped to improve the waste segregation, storage, transportation, and disposal in conjunction with strengthening staff empowerment that both contribute to good health living in such health settings.

Obstetric violence criminalised in Mexico: a comparative analysis of hospital complaints filed with the Medical Arbitration Commission

IntroductionDisrespect and abuse during childbirth have been reported by numerous countries around the world. One of their principal manifestations is the performance of invasive or surgical procedures without the informed consent of women. Non-dignified treatment is the second most common form of this conduct. Five Mexican states have classified obstetric violence as a crime: Aguascalientes, Chiapas, Guerrero, the State of Mexico and Veracruz. The others have not yet done so although it is provided for in their civil and administrative regulations.ObjectiveTo analyse whether criminalising obstetric violence has been conducive to the recognition and observance of the reproductive rights of women, based on the records of poor health care complaints filed by women with the Medical Arbitration Commissions (CAMs by their Spanish initials) in two Mexican states.Materials and methodsWe conducted an observational qualitative study using a phenomenological approach. Analysis included two states with similar partner demographic and maternal health indicators but different legal classifications of obstetric violence: the Chiapas has criminalized this form of violence while Oaxaca has not. We reviewed the records of obstetric care complaints filed with CAMs in both states from 2011 to 2015, all of them concluded and including full information.ResultsDifferences were observed regarding the contents of complaints, specifically in the categories of abuse, discrimination and neglect during childbirth. The narratives in the other complaint categories were similar between states.ConclusionAfter analysing the records of malpractice complaints in Chiapas and Oaxaca, we conclude that the differentiated legal status of obstetric violence has not influenced recognition or observance of the reproductive rights of women. Criminalising obstetric violence has not improved care provided by health personnel.

NURSE’S LEGAL COMPLIANCE ON HEALTH PROMOTION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN NURSING PRACTICES (A Study in Ajibarang Regional Public Hospital / RSUD in Banyumas Regency)

Recently, most nurses understad the standards and health promotion regulation yet only few implement them. This phenomenon is perceived disadvantageous habit which causes ineffective health promotion and poor health care to the community. Accordingly, this research will discuss the level of nurse’s legal compliance on health promotion standard in nursing care and the influence of motivation and communication on the level of nurse’s legal compliance for health promotion implementation in Ajibarang Hospital. This study applied sociological juridical research by using quantitative and qualitative methods. The results show, legal compliance to some extent is not independent or influenced by various factors. In this study, the non-legal factors that often affect the compliance of law include nurse motivation in implementing health promotion and nurse communication in performing health promotion. Keywords: motivation factor, communication factor, legal compliance, nurse

Pregnancy with severe anemia: a dangerous combination with increase in maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. How can we prevent it?

Background: Anaemia is a condition in which the number of red blood cells or their oxygen-carrying capacity is insufficient to meet physiologic needs, which vary by age, sex, altitude, smoking, and pregnancy status. In its severe form, it is associated with fatigue, weakness, dizziness and drowsiness. Pregnant women and children are particularly vulnerable.Methods: This study was carried out in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Muzaffarnagar medical college, Muzaffarnagar and the data was taken according to the WHO.Results: It was found that the prevalence of anemia was 91%. According to WHO classification, out of this 44.9% were mildly anemic, 29.9% were moderately anemic and 25% were severely anemic.Conclusions: The causes of anemia in pregnancy are illiteracy, poor socioeconomic status, improper distribution of iron and calcium tablets in rural areas due to poor health care intrastructure.

Book Review: Social Policy and Social Change: Toward the Creation of Social and Economic Justice

Although the book title, <em>Social Policy and Social Change: Toward the Creation of Social and Economic Justice</em>, suggests social change, the focus of the book is social justice, particularly in social work policy and practice. In this second edition of Jimenez, Mayers Pasztor, Chambers, and Pearlman Fujii's seminal exploration, issues of inequality and the widening gap between the wealthy and poor, health care disparities, discrimination, and developing issues are investigated and analyzed in a reader-friendly format.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC MEASURES OF SOUTHWEST AREAS DEVELOPMENT OF THE BRYANSK REGION, MOST AFFECTED BY CHERNOBYL DISASTER

The population of southwest regions of the Bryansk region (Novozybkovsky, Krasnogorsk, Zlyn-kovsky, Gordeevsky, Klintsy, Klimovsk and Starodub regions) was most exposed to radiation from the Cher-nobyl accident. For reducing social and economic consequences of the accident it is necessary to increase population welfare, to create a social and attractive business envi-ronment, to promote innovative development of the industry, increase of the birth rate, growth of life ex-pectancy of citizens, formation of civil society, and also to control the city and the region effectively. The article distinguishes the main socio-economic problems of southwest regions of the Bryansk region, such as poor production development, low level of the salary, low level of investment into the fixed capital, poor health care, leaving of youth, etc. For development of southwest regions of the Bryansk region it is necessary to increase enterprise activity through creation of industrial and agro-industrial clusters. It is also recommended to create Centre of economic development of southwest regions of the Bryansk region and transport-logistical center.