Census survey for a primary health care programme

To describe the process of gathering information from a census survey as a preliminary step for supporting the working of a primary health care center. It also presents briefly the results of the survey and its broader implications on the health needs of the local population.

A questionnaire was used to obtain basic information regarding the ethnicity/area of origin, number of household members and their breakdown according to gender, age and marital status. The medical students of different batches were involved in the data collection process, as part of their Survey Methodology course of Community Health Sciences (CHS) in first year.

Data was obtained from 2,033 houses, having a total population of 16,118 persons. Fifty three per cent of the population was under fifteen years, 42% were between 15-49 and 5% were over 50 years of age. The overall percentage of males was 52% and females 48%. Approximately 79 percent people were Pushto speaking.

Sikanderabad is a typical slum settlement, with an emigrant population being mostly of Pathan and Afghan refugees. The fertility rate in Sikanderabad is much higher than that of Karachi. This highlights the need for education and availability of family planning facilities. At the same time, due to the fact that there is a major portion of the population aged under five years, so facility for treating children must be appropriately provided. The Primary Health Care center established in Sikanderabad is based on the above information. The emphasis is on maternal and childcare, including antenatal and postnatal care; family planning and nutritional counseling.