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Availability of good quality stock, in right quantity, at right place and time and at right cost is the essence of inventory control, which in turn is mandatory for smooth functioning and service delivery of any health care facility. Various techniques are available for inventory control, based on cost, criticality and other factors for e.g., ABC analysis, VED analysis, ABC-VED matrix, FSN analysis, SDE analysis etc. Each technique has its own strength and weakness in its applicability. Economic considerations are also imperative for logistic management of any health facility, as any cost savings could be spent more gainfully in some other way and thus more lives could be saved, reduced morbidities and overall positive impact. Future healthcare managers will have to utilize scientific methods of inventory management and the role of an efficient hospital logistics system cannot be ignored anymore. Inventory control is an important component of hospital management. It provides significant improvement in patient care, customer relationships and optimal use of resources. The objective of this paper is to present an up-to-date review of inventory control and critically appraise its various techniques, various costs associated with it and methods of indenting stock. This review will benefit post-graduate students and public health workers in understanding the concepts and principle of inventory control and applying the same in their practice.

Background: Due to COVID-19 pandemic, online classes were initiated in medical colleges for continuation of learning. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 537 undergraduate medical students in an Indian medical college using Google forms. The questionnaire contained sections on students’ online or e-learning experience and role of instructor in enhancing it; challenges and further scope of improved implementation of e-learning. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics. SPSS 23 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Among study participants, (46.7%) regularly joined e-classes on time. Prior scheduling of classes (88.6%) and sharing of study material in e-learning application (84%) by teachers/instructors; interactive discussion with teachers (71.1%) and their response to students’ queries through e-learning application (77%) facilitated learning among participants. For (42.6%) e-learning represented considerable challenge in acquiring clinical medical skills. Theory lectures were found suitable for learning by e-learning mode while clinical case discussions were not preferred. Conclusion: E-classes had some definite advantages; however, undergraduate medical students preferred blended approach as e-learning represented a challenge for learning clinical medical skills. Instructors were found to have definite role in enhancing e-learning experience. Providing solutions to barriers like poor internet connectivity and resolution of technical glitches are essential for improved implementation of e-learning.

Background: Utilization of antenatal care services is very essential for reducing maternal mortality in a country like India which is experiencing high maternal mortality especially in the state of Assam being at the top position. Almost 90% of the maternal deaths can be prevented by timely medical interventions. However, adequate utilization of antenatal care (ANC) services is far away from WHO recommendations. The objective is to assess the utilization of antenatal care services and also to determine the underlying factors influencing the utilization of antenatal care services in rural areas of Assam. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted from September-December 2015. Eight villages were selected randomly and sample size was calculated as 300.All currently married women having children of less than one year of age comprised of study population. Results: Out of 300 women all were registered during antenatal period and among them 53% were registered during first trimester. Among them 68.7% women had more than three antenatal visits, 90% were immunized with TT and 71.6% had consumed 100 or more IFA tablets. The utilization of antenatal care services were found to be significantly associated with the age of the women , religion, caste, socioeconomic class, place of delivery, mode of delivery, parity (P

Background: Infant and young child is the future of the nation and constitute the most important human resource of any country. Adequate nutrition in first 24 months through optimal infants and young child feeding is fundamental for development of a child to its fullest potential. The present study is designed to assess the prevalence of optimal IYCF practices and its determinants in rural area of Kamrup, Assam. Methods: Mothers of children 0-23 months of age were interviewed using a semi structured schedule to record information on feeding practices. Results: A total of 200 infant and young children were studied for feeding practices. Breastfeeding (BF) was initiated within 1 h of birth in 49% of children. Early initiation of BF was significantly higher in children born in government institutions, normal births and in families with higher income. Colostrum was given by 79% of the mothers. Children born in the government institution were more likely to receive colostrum (P < 0.05).Pre-lacteal feeds were given 34% of mothers, children born at home and private institution and caesarean births received prelacteal feeds more often (P

Background: Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) was initiated in 2011 to reduce the out of pocket expenditure incurred by pregnant women and sick neonates accessing public health facilities in India. Aim of the study was to assess the factors influencing utilization of free delivery care under JSSK among beneficiaries in rural areas of kamrup district in Assam, India. Methods: A cross-sectional study with multistage random sampling design was conducted in rural Kamrup from August 2013 to July 2014 among 387 mothers with infants. They were interviewed using a pre-designed and pre-tested semi-structured interview schedule. Statistical analysis used: Chi-square, Odds ratio (OR) and logistic regression. Results: Utilization of free delivery care under JSSK was 83.2% among the beneficiaries. Factors significantly associated with utilization of free delivery, after bivariate logistic regression, were education, age, socioeconomic status, early registration and parity. On multivariate logistic regression, considering all variables, age group below 25 years (OR=2.3; Confidence Interval= 1.33-3.99), Socio-economic class III and below (OR=2.27; CI= 1.32-3.88), early registration (OR=4.3; CI= 2.47-7.56) and single parity (OR=2.08; CI=1.19-3.63) were found to be predictors for utilization of the services. Conclusions: The majority of beneficiary mothers in the rural areas had received ‘free delivery’ care under JSSK available in the public health facilities. However utilization of the benefit was not achieved universally among all the mothers. There should be focussed action at grass-root level to motivate the multipara and older pregnant women in the rural areas to utilize the services to enhance pregnancy outcome.

Background: Adolescent girl’s health covers morbidity, mortality, nutritional status and reproductive health and linked to these are environmental degradations, violence and occupational hazards. Adolescent girl’s health also has an intergenerational effect. With the aim to assess their nutritional status, a cross sectional study was carried out among adolescent girls of 10-19 years residing in the urban slums of Guwahati city.. Methods: 400 adolescent girls were interviewed from 10 randomly selected slums over a period of one year. Predesigned pretested semi structured interview schedule was used to collect socio demographic and individual information of the respondents. Hemoglobin estimation was done using colour scale method. Results: Out of 400 respondents, 34.75% were found to have a BMI lying between 15 th -50 th percentiles of reference value. 20.00% were found to be below 5th percentile. 33.50% of the total respondents belonged to class IV socioeconomic status, out of which 47.00% is found to have a BMI of less than 5th percentile. The study shows the prevalence of mild anaemia to be 28.46%, moderate anaemia to be 57.31% and severe anaemia 14.23% respectively. The mean haemoglobin of menstruating girls (8.87 gm%) was found to be less than in the non-menstruating girls (10.15 gm%). There was a positive association between prevalence of anaemia among the adolescent girls and worm infestation. Conclusions: Socioeconomic status is seen to have an appreciable impact in the health and nutritional status of the slum dwelling adolescent girls.

Background: Elderly population in India is increasing fast which indicates a growing share of population with more special needs for health and support. Understanding the morbidities and health-seeking behavior of elderly is essential for strengthening geriatric health-care services delivery. Objectives: The objective of this study was to study the morbidity profile of elderly in urban slum areas and assess their health-seeking behavior. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted in urban slums of Jorhat district of Assam, among 125 elderly selected by simple random sampling. Statistical Analysis Used: The statistical analysis was performed by Chi-square and proportions. Results: The most common morbidity found was arthritis (70.4%) followed by visual impairment (58%). Majority (83.7%) were seeking treatment for their health problems. Among those elderly who did not seek treatment, the most common reasons given were “lack of money” (81.2%) and “not feeling necessary to go to doctor as conditions were age related” (62.5%). Conclusions: More than two-third of slum-dwelling elderly in the present study were suffering from chronic morbidities; a few could not afford proper health care due to lack of money and self-medication practices were prevalent among some. This stresses the need to provide suitable health facilities and affordable health care to the elderly in slum areas to ensure their active aging. Living arrangement of the elderly was found to have significantly influenced their health-seeking behavior. Strategic implementation of policies focusing on the problems and beliefs of slum-dwelling elderly which prevent them from seeking healthcare is the need of the hour.