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September, 2010 |
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Market Update |
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Surveys & Special Issues |
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Best Brands |
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2009
December |
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The best in Oman across 15 categories |
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Best Brands |
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2008
December |
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A more comprehensive outlook on offer this year with six new categories added |
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Also From the Apex Stable |
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Rooting out the risk |
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Sujit Chandra Kumar, Mar 2010 |
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Health is not valued till sickness occurs
— Dr Thomas Fuller, British physician
Dr Geetha K, gynaecologist of Al Raffah Hospital quotes Fuller, adding that what he said has special relevance for women who tend to put their family’s interest above theirs and neglect their health.
“Different health problems plague a woman during the three phases of her life, adolescence, reproductive stage and menopause.”
In Muscat, Dr Geetha says, anaemia is a common problem among adolescents.
“Other problems usually found in this age group are menstrual disorders, teenage pregnancies and a risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. We need to encourage frank discussions with teenagers to prevent these.”
In the reproductive age group, a routine gynaecological checkup is imperative every year to rule out fibroids, ovarian cysts, endometriosis and the like. Dr Geetha says the pap smear is essential for women above 35 and this screening process should be done routinely.
“Equally important is breast examination and mammography for women with a suspected lump or a family history of breast cancer. Ultrasonography of the pelvis to rule out tumours and cysts is another preventive measure.”
She has found a small section of the women’s population to be very aware of these preventive measures while a large majority is either less aware or completely ignorant.
“To ensure a smooth transition to menopause, women should do a complete health checkup every year including pap smear, mammography and sonography. Tests should also be done to evaluate heart, bones and thyroid.”
 Dr David Saxton, head of women's health services at Muscat Private Hospital, also stresses the importance of preventive aspect in women's healthcare.
“Medical world is moving in this direction and we have evolved several screening programmes for women where we look at dietary advice and menstrual advice, cervical cancer screening besides obesity and lipid profile.”
If a pregnant woman is obese, the baby tends to be big and has a chance of becoming unhealthy later. That is why, he says, the hospital has a pre-pregnancy care plan besides three other gynecological screening packages that take into account every aspect of a woman's body.
Dr Saxton points out that the number of caesareans has been rising the world over and Oman is no exception. “As women here tend to have more children, repeated Caesarian sections can cause complications.”
Similarly, modern women tend to have babies later in life and this poses certain challenges. For instance, high blood pressure is becoming more prevalent. “As a service provider, our maternity services are well established while we see a potential in non-pregnancy related issues.”
Muscat Private Hospital is thinking of establishing a Euro Gynecology Unit within a year. “We will provide not only the option of surgery but also medication and physiotherapy. Many people suffer from bladder problems but there is a stigma attached to it, so some do not seek medical solutions.” Dr Saxton says the hospital hopes to introduce programmes that are still not available in the sultanate. “We recently brought in the vaccine for cervical cancer which was available elsewhere but not in Oman.”
According to him, the real challenge in Oman is the general lack of awareness about some of the measures that can be taken to prevent diseases and complications. Muscat Private Hospital has a direct line to deal with women’s problems.
 Dr Madhuri Duryodhan, gynaecologist, KIMS Oman Hospital, says patients have a lot more options now because the private medical care industry has opened up.
She says compared to clinics, hospitals are able to provide better care because of more facilities.
Even though treatment is free for Omanis in the government hospitals, many go to private hospitals to avoid the waiting period.
Another reason is that women like to go to the same doctor as they develop a comfort level. “If you take care of teenagers, they will grow up to become healthy mothers. Nutrition assumes importance. Checkups are vital because many of the problems affecting women do not necessarily show symptoms like pain,” says Dr Madhuri.
Dr Jayashree Dhar, gynaecologist, Hatat Polyclinic, says there is a growing awareness about women’s health in Oman, but the problem is that most women avoid routine checkups and go to the doctor only when they think they have a problem. She says many of women’s health problems are related to pregnancy, infertility or contraception.
“The sultanate has excellent facilities for the diagnosis and treatment of women's health issues. Sometimes, if one private clinic does not have some facilities, another is bound to have it. Most clinics have tie-ups with other clinics, so there is absolutely no problem providing a range of world-class facilities for the health and well-being of women.”
Dr Samah Abdul Sattar, specialist in internal medicine at KIMS, says that women's healthcare won’t be complete just by prescribing calcium supplements and examining them for post-menstrual problems.
“Diabetes, hypertension and hyper cholesterol are some of the common problems that women face. These may not specific to women but women are not immune to them.”
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