摘要
Introduction: Bangladesh has experienced remarkable growth in RMG over the past 25 years. With the knitwear industry providing more than 4 million direct jobs, providing better occupational health and safety of workers remains a challenge. Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to analyze the disease burden of a RMG factory, and to highlight occupational health risks. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was employed for this analysis. A 17-month data entry (January 2020 - May 2021) was gathered from the factory in-house clinic. The socio-demographic and clinical diagnosis entries of 8421 entries were analyzed. Result: The population of the factory workers is 5370, where 40% (2148) are female workers and 60% (3222) are male workers. The mean age of respondents is 30 years, with a SD of ±7 years. Among the chief complaints, the most common was vomiting (14%;2262) fever (14%;2247), runny nose (11%;1842), cough (9%;1465), and loose motion (8%;1364). In the diagnosis categories, gastrointestinal diseases were more predominantly diagnosed (35%;2978), followed by viral fever (21%;1772), neurological diseases (16.5%;1389) and musculoskeletal disorders (9%;768). The average cost of medicine for each respondent is BDT 36. The factory covered costs of all medication for 99% (8380) of respondents. Only 0.5% (37) was referred to a tertiary hospital for further evaluation. Conclusion: Garments workers suffer mostly from long-term occupational health hazards. Factory owners and policy makers can contribute in various ways to improving primary healthcare options for workers.
Introduction: Bangladesh has experienced remarkable growth in RMG over the past 25 years. With the knitwear industry providing more than 4 million direct jobs, providing better occupational health and safety of workers remains a challenge. Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to analyze the disease burden of a RMG factory, and to highlight occupational health risks. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was employed for this analysis. A 17-month data entry (January 2020 - May 2021) was gathered from the factory in-house clinic. The socio-demographic and clinical diagnosis entries of 8421 entries were analyzed. Result: The population of the factory workers is 5370, where 40% (2148) are female workers and 60% (3222) are male workers. The mean age of respondents is 30 years, with a SD of ±7 years. Among the chief complaints, the most common was vomiting (14%;2262) fever (14%;2247), runny nose (11%;1842), cough (9%;1465), and loose motion (8%;1364). In the diagnosis categories, gastrointestinal diseases were more predominantly diagnosed (35%;2978), followed by viral fever (21%;1772), neurological diseases (16.5%;1389) and musculoskeletal disorders (9%;768). The average cost of medicine for each respondent is BDT 36. The factory covered costs of all medication for 99% (8380) of respondents. Only 0.5% (37) was referred to a tertiary hospital for further evaluation. Conclusion: Garments workers suffer mostly from long-term occupational health hazards. Factory owners and policy makers can contribute in various ways to improving primary healthcare options for workers.
作者
Mariam Zaman
Tayeb Ahmmed
Nabila Binte Hossain
S. M. Raysul Haque
Ariful Islam Joarder
Kamran ul Baset
Mariam Zaman;Tayeb Ahmmed;Nabila Binte Hossain;S. M. Raysul Haque;Ariful Islam Joarder;Kamran ul Baset(Department of Procurement, SM Group, Dhaka, Bangladesh;Department of Neurosurgery, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh;Department of Public Health, Independent University Bangladesh (IUB), Dhaka, Bangladesh;Department of Cardiology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh)