Gynecological Morbidity Among Grass-root Level Health Care Providers in an Urban Setup.

OBJECTIVES The study of health status of grass-root level health care providers may help us understand the delivery gaps from the programmatic point of view. METHODS A detailed interview of 313 Anganwadi workers (AWW) was taken in a predesigned, pretested questionnaire, and their clinical examination and Pap smear study were arranged at New Civil Hospital, Surat during November 2007-April 2008. All AWWs were accompanied for follow up and examination. Data were analyzed using Epi-Info Software. RESULTS Mean age of menarche and menopause was 14.3 and 44 years, respectively. Among 73 women having menopause, 53 (72. 6%) had natural menopause. On taking history, only 9.5 % gave positive findings, while 42.3 % had positive clinical signs on examination. Inflammation was reported in 43.4 % Pap smear, while 2.8 % had cervical dysplasia of varying grades. CONCLUSIONS All women should be advised to undergo complete pelvic examination including Pap Smear for the detection of gynecological morbidity.