Sohaib Khalid Hashmi.
Socio-economic evaluation of the parents of patients under treatment at the Oncology Unit of the National Institute of Child Health (NICH).
Pak Paed J Jan ;30(4):179-83.

Objective: To evaluate the socio-economic status of the parents of patients under treatment at the Oncology unit at NICH. Place and Duration of study: The Child Aid Association (CAA), an NGO, supports the totally free care at the above unit through public donations. The period of study was June 2006. A questionnaire based cross-sectional survey was carried out by interviewing the parents of patients. Results: 72% of the patients were males and 28% were females. About 60% of the patients were from Karachi while the rest were from other cities and villages. 65% of the people had between 3-6 members in their immediate family and 35% had more than 7 persons in their immediate family. 78% had monthly incomes between Rs.1000 - Rs.6000, 10% also had other sources of earning (investment/property). 70% lived in only 1-2 rooms. Similarly, 70% did not own any means of transport with only about 30% having cycles or motorcycles. Conclusion: Most of the people seeking treatment for cancer belonged to the low socio-economic class and were usually part of a large family. A single family member supported the rest of the family in most cases with no other source of income. Many were living as tenants or with many families sharing one house. Many of those living outside Karachi were either unemployed or living on minimum wages as laborers for big landlords. Most had no means of bearing any medical expenses and can`t afford treatment other than in government institutions or seek support from NGOs for their wards. The numbers in the figures showing the prevalence of large families and low wages indicates low levels of literacy amongst the majority other than those on small government posts.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com