Analysis of Data Collected from Service Recipients (Patients)
Age of the Service Recipients
Table – 1: contains data about age of the service recipients. The data reveal that majority of the service recipients i.e. 25.7% belong to the age group of 41—50 years and smallest portion i.e. 5.7% belong to the age group of 61—70
Table- 01: Distribution of the service recipients on the basis of Age
About 51.4% of the service recipients are males while 48.7% are females.
Analysis of Data Collected From Hospital Social Service Officers:
Age of the Service Recipients
Table – 1: contains data about age of the service recipients. The data reveal that majority of the service recipients i.e. 25.7% belong to the age group of 41—50 years and smallest portion i.e. 5.7% belong to the age group of 61—70
Table- 01: Distribution of the service recipients on the basis of Age
| Age | Frequency | Percentage |
| 1--10 Years | 5 | 14.3 |
| 11--20 Years | 4 | 11.4 |
| 21--30 Years | 7 | 20.0 |
| 31--40 Years | 5 | 14.3 |
| 41--50 Years | 9 | 25.7 |
| 51--60 Years | 3 | 8.6 |
| 61--70 Years | 2 | 5.7 |
| Total | 35 | 100 |
| Mean Age | 38.33 |
About 20% of the service recipients belong to the age group of 21—30 years, 14.3% belong to the age group of 1—10 years and 14.3% belong to the age group of 31—40 years. Moreover, 11.4% and 8.6% belong to the age group of 11-20 years and 51—60 years. The data also indicates that 60% of the service recipients belong to the age group of 1—40 years.
Sex of the Service Recipients
Data furnished in table -2: reflect the sex of the service recipient. The data in the table indicate that the number of male service recipients is greater than the
Table- 02: Distribution of the service recipients on the basis of gender
Sex
|
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
Male
|
18
|
51.4
|
Female
|
17
|
48.7
|
Total
|
30
|
100
|
Diagram :2
Presentation of data relating to the sex of service recipients using sub-divided bar diagram
Marital Status of the Service Recipients
Data furnished in table-3 reflect the marital status of the respondents. Majority of the respondents (57.1%) are married, 31.4% are unmarried and only 11.4% are widow or widower.
Table- 03: Distribution of service recipients on the basis of Marital Status
Marital Status
|
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
Married
|
20
|
57.1
|
Unmarried
|
11
|
31.4
|
Widow/Widower
|
4
|
11.4
|
Total
|
35
|
100
|
Diagram :3
Presentation of marital status of service recipients using pie diagram
Educational Status of the Service Recipients
Data contained in table-4 reflect educational status of the patients who receive services from hospital social service department. Majority of the service recipient (25.7%) have completed primary education while only 5.7% have
Table- 04: Distribution of service recipients on the basis of Education Status
Distribution of service recipients on the basis of Education Status completed SSC/HSC. About 22.9% of the service recipients are illiterate and 8.6% are of under school going age. Moreover, one fifth of the service recipients can only read and write and 17.1% have completed lower secondary (class six to eight). Form the table it becomes clear that only 48.5% of the service recipients have institutional education.
Diagram: 4
Presentation of data relating to the education of service recipients using bar diagram
Sex of hospital social service officers
Data furnished table-1: represents sex of hospital social service officers. The data indicate that female officers constitute 70% of the sampled population while males constitute only 30% of the sampled population.
Table- 01: distribution of hospital social service officers on the basis of sex and age
| Gender | Frequency | Percentage |
| Male | 9 | 30.0 |
| Female | 21 | 70.0 |
| Total | 30 | 100 |
Diagram: 1
Presentation of data relating to the age of hospital social service officers using pie chart
Limitations of Hospital Social Service Programs in Bangladesh
From the analysis of findings of the study following limitations of hospital social service department has been indentified:
- Limited sanction of fund is the major problem of hospital social service program of Bangladesh. Due to limited fund the hospital social service officers can help all the poor patients. They can only help extremely poor but can not bear the full cost of treatment. They only provide the patient with some medicines or other necessary things.
- Hospital social service officers claimed that there exists lack of manpower. As a result, the can not visit the patient regularly.
- Sometimes, other professionals e.g. doctor, nurses and therapists even hospital authority do not want to cooperate with hospital social service officer.
- n Bangladesh, Doctors refer the patient to the hospital social service officer in most cases. Hospital social service officer do not select the patient directly for providing service.
- Hospital social service officers in Bangladesh are not involved in Psychosocial study, diagnosis, treatment plan, discharge planning of the patient.
- The Hospital social service officer mainly provide the patient material servicer e.g. medicine, money and soon.
- Jobs in hospital social service department of Bangladesh do not require specialized knowledge or educational background on social work/social welfare. As a result almost all the social service officer do not have educational degree on social work. They lack in professionalism in performing their duties.
For these above mentioned limitations hospital social service program in Bangladesh can not provide proper services to the patients to ensure comprehensive welfare.
Recommendations for Improving Hospital Social Service Programs in Bangladesh
One of the objections of a research work is to develop insight, create new knowledge and expand the field of research. Before this study no comprehensive study on Hospital Social Services in Bangladesh has been conducted after 1969. The findings of the study the following recommendations have been presented for the improvement of hospital social service in Bangladesh.
- Government should take necessary steps to increase fund for hospital social service programs.
- Skilled manpower should be employed to ensure better care and servicer.
- Students of social work discipline should be given priority during appointing hospital social service officers.
- Seminar, Symposium need to be arrange to make people know about hospital social service programmer and its necessary.
- Hospital social service officer should build liaison with various welfare agencies for making effective referral.
- Government should take necessary steps for strengthening hospital social service department.
- Hospital authority should ensure. Proper co-ordination for the improvement of hospital social service program and should ensure the participation of hospital social service officers in Psychosocial assessment, diagnosis, treatment and discharge planning of patients
Concluding Remarks/Conclusion
Hospital social work, a response to the psycho-social-economic problems of the sick people, emerged in U.K. and USA during early 1990s. With the passage of time it has been introduced in other countries of the work. In Bangladesh it has passed 50 years of its evolution. But no significant development of this field is seen here. Hospital social service program is an important program of department of Social Service (DSS) of Government of Bangladesh under Ministry of Social Welfare. Due to existence of some problems this section can not contribute much to the welfare of ill people.
The study has been conducted to explore present situation of hospital social service in Bangladesh; existing programs, problems and solution to remove these problems. Findings of the study indicate that mainly people of lower income group receive services from hospital social service department. They mainly receive force medicines under the social service program. Other servicer e.g. psychological support, rehabilitative support etc are given in a negligible quantity services provided from the department of hospital social service are not adequate for patients welfare.
Finding of the study also reveal that hospital social service officers confront various problems e.g. lack of fund manpower and coordination etc. during performing professional responsibilities. Due to these problems they can not provide with the patient better care.
Research is a method of combining theoretical knowledge with practical experience. The present study has been conducted in order to compare practice of hospital social service programs in Bangladesh with the theoretical aspect of hospital social work. In this study I have tried to find out the limitations of hospital social service program as well as recommendations for improving this program. My research objective will succeed if it can bring any welfare for the poor and helpless patient.
In conclusion, I want to draw the attention of government as well as to all the healthy people to come forward to help the poor sick people to lead as normal life.
| Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six |
S.M. Mahmud Bin Amin
Session: 2006-07
Roll No: 1732
Institute of Social welfare and Research,
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Phone: +88 01684525909, 01924030945
|
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