Birth control: Medical colleges start offering courses on family planning
Seven modules have already been implemented at five institutions.
KARACHI:
In an effort to improve family planning services in the country, seven courses have been created for medical students as a part of the Family Advancement for Life and Health (FALAH) project.
The modules will be taught to students as a part of the curriculum at medical colleges and universities in the country. Some of the members involved in the FALAH project include Jhpiego (an affiliate of John Hopkins University), Population Council and Greenstar. In order to bring the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) on board with the initiative, a three-day orientation workshop on ‘Basic Minimum Birth Spacing and Family Planning Content Package’ was started on Tuesday.
The project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development and FALAH conducted the needs assessment in 2008. The research was conducted at three medical colleges: Chandka Medical College in Larkana, Quaid-e-Azam Medical College in Bahawalpur and Nishter Medical College in Multan. “We discovered that the present curriculum seriously lacks hands-on training for family planning services and techniques,” said Dr Muhammad Waqar Saleem, who is a training specialist working with FALAH.
The most common problems were with the insertion and removal of the intra-uterine contraceptive device (IUCD) or coil and the correct use of instruments which prevent infections.
The group developed the modules keeping this in mind. It has been shared with five public medical college and universities so far. These include Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University in Larkana, Khyber Medical University in Peshawar, Lahore Medical and Dental College and Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences in Jamshoro.
The pace and time for the introduction of the modules are customised to suit each medical institution. Dr Saleem is confident that once the modules are properly incorporated, they will put “future medical graduates at a much stronger foothold than the present ones.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 30th, 2011.
In an effort to improve family planning services in the country, seven courses have been created for medical students as a part of the Family Advancement for Life and Health (FALAH) project.
The modules will be taught to students as a part of the curriculum at medical colleges and universities in the country. Some of the members involved in the FALAH project include Jhpiego (an affiliate of John Hopkins University), Population Council and Greenstar. In order to bring the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) on board with the initiative, a three-day orientation workshop on ‘Basic Minimum Birth Spacing and Family Planning Content Package’ was started on Tuesday.
The project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development and FALAH conducted the needs assessment in 2008. The research was conducted at three medical colleges: Chandka Medical College in Larkana, Quaid-e-Azam Medical College in Bahawalpur and Nishter Medical College in Multan. “We discovered that the present curriculum seriously lacks hands-on training for family planning services and techniques,” said Dr Muhammad Waqar Saleem, who is a training specialist working with FALAH.
The most common problems were with the insertion and removal of the intra-uterine contraceptive device (IUCD) or coil and the correct use of instruments which prevent infections.
The group developed the modules keeping this in mind. It has been shared with five public medical college and universities so far. These include Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University in Larkana, Khyber Medical University in Peshawar, Lahore Medical and Dental College and Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences in Jamshoro.
The pace and time for the introduction of the modules are customised to suit each medical institution. Dr Saleem is confident that once the modules are properly incorporated, they will put “future medical graduates at a much stronger foothold than the present ones.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 30th, 2011.