Experience of a family clinic at Benghazi, Libya, and sociomedical aspects of its catchment population.
The article highlights the pioneering efforts towards establishment of a family clinic as a model for provision of primary health care to the community at family level in Libya. Home visits were undertaken by health teams to introduce the clinic and record demographic and sociomedical data. Families were invited to attend the clinic for a complete health examination. It was largely a young population with an average family size of 7.1. The houses were generally overcrowded. The majority of the heads of families had no formal education or skilled occupation but 98.1% had gainful employment. The vital statistics of the population, though comparable to the national figures, reflect a better health status. The infant mortality rate of the reference population was 25.9 per 1000 live births compared with 32.8 for the whole of Libya. Most reproductive age women (81.5%) breast fed their children for six months or more and 4% used contraceptives. The overall morbidity rate was 255 per 1000 population and the morbidity pattern, with a predominance of infections, was typical of a developing country. Each case diagnosed during the survey was appropriately treated and those with chronic diseases are being followed up. It is felt that such family based comprehensive health care units will go a long way in providing primary health care throughout Libya.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003267:Contraception; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006792:House Calls; D006801:Humans; D007226:Infant Mortality; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008002:Libya; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors