The Department of Community Health Sciences works in the area of public and population health sciences to advance health and wellbeing, thereby contributing to Aga Khan University’s vision of serving communities in the developing world and Muslim societies. It applies the University's values of Impact, Quality, Relevance and Access to Public ​Health Education, Research and Practice.​​​​​​​​

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Theses/Dissertations from 2013

Exploring opportunities for linkage of Benazir Income Support Programme with food conitionalities among pregnant and lactating women and children under five in Matiari, Sindh : a cross sectional study, Aminah Jahangir

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Asbestos risk assessment in Pakistan: Current scenario and way forward, Adeel Ahmed Khan, Asaad Ahmed Nafees, and Zafar Fatmi

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Interventions to reduce neonatal mortality from neonatal tetanus in low and middle income countries - a systematic review, Adeel Ahmed Khan, Aysha Zahidie, and F. Rabbani

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Ethics and social accountability - two sides of the same coin integrating social accountability in medical education, Kausar S. Khan and Sohail Amir Ali Bawani

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Missing dimensions in addressing child malnutrition in Pakistan : lessons from the tawana experience, Kausar S. Khan, Ghazala Rafique, and Sohail Amir Ali Bawani

Adaptation and validation of a community worker administratered stroke symptom questionnaire in a peri-urban Pakistani community, Maria Khan

Barriers in utilization of harm reduction services for HIV/AID prevention among injecting drug users in Karachi : a qualitative study exploring users and management perspectives, Abdul Latif

Clinical and lifestyle determinants of asymptomatic intracranial atherosclerotic disease in adults undergoing MRI at two tertiary care centers in Karachi, Pakistan, Farzin Majeed

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Thalassemia and premarital screening: potential for implementation of a screening program among young people in Pakistan, Arslan Mirza, Alina Ghani, Anam Pal, Abeer Sami, Sana Hannan, Zohaib Ashraf, Sulala Iqbal, Umair Zafar Malik, Umar Hayat, and Zafar Fatmi

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Pattern and predictors for respiratory illnesses and symptoms and lung function among textile workers in Karachi, Pakistan, Asaad Ahmed Nafees, Zafar Fatmi, Muhammad Masood Kadir, and Nalini Sathiakumar

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How well can physicians manage Tuberculosis? A Public-Private sector comparison from Karachi, Pakistan, Maliha Naseer, Ali Khawaja, Amin S. Pethan, and Salik Aleem

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Sex-based difference in the perception of exercise and level of physical activity among residents of Karachi City, Pakistan, Maliha Naseer, Aneeta Khoso, Sadaf Naqvi, and Hira Irfan

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Relationship between exercise induced dyspnea and functional capacity with doppler-derived diastolic function, Sumera Nasim, Najaf Nadeem, Aysha Zahidie, and Tabbasum Sharif

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Determinants of contraceptives use amongst youth: an exploratory study with family planning service providers in Karachi Pakistan, Noureen Aleem Nishtar, Neelofar Sami, Sabina Alim, Nousheen Pradhan, and Farid Ul Hasnain

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Myths and fallacies about male contraceptive methods: a qualitative study amongst married youth in slums of Karachi, Pakistan, Noureen Aleem Nishtar, Neelofar Sami, Anum Faruqi, Shaneela Khowaja, and Farid Ul-Hasnain

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A combined community and facility-based approach to improve pregnancy outcomes in low-resource settings: A global network cluster randomized trial, Omrana Pasha, Elizabeth M. McClure, Linda L. Wright, Sarah Saleem, Shivaprasad S. Goudar, Elwyn Chomba, Archana Patel, Fabian Esamai, Ana Garces, and Fernando Althabe

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Engaging general practitioners in public–private mix tuberculosis DOTS program in an urban area in Pakistan need for context-specific approach, Amin Pethani, Mubashir Zafar, Adeel Ahmed Khan, Unaib Rabbani Sana, Sana Ahmed, and Zafar Fatmi

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Perceptions of primary caregivers of children with disabilities in two communities from Sindh and Balochistan, Pakistan, Arisha Qayyum, Seema Zainulabdin Lasi, and Ghazala Rafique

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Healthcare delivery system improvements: a way forward to improve health in developing countries and Pakistan, Waris Qidwai

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Are we ready for a person-centered care model for patient-physician consultation? A survey from family physicians and their patients of East Mediterranean Region, Waris Qidwai, Kashmira Nanji, Tawfik Khoja, Salman Rawaf, Nabil Yasin Al Kurashi, Faisal Alnasir, Mohammed Ali Al Shafaee, Mariam Al Shetti, Muntazar Bashir, Nagwa Eid Sobhy Saad, Sanaa Alkaisi, and Wafa Halasa

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Bibliographic review of research publications on access to and use of medicines in low-income and middle-income countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: identifying the research gaps., Arash Rashidian, Nader Jahanmehr, Samer Jabbour, Shehla Zaidi, Fatemeh Soleymani, and Maryam Bigdeli

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Application of 4% chlorhexidine solution for cord cleansing after birth reduces neonatal mortality and omphalitis, Sarah Saleem

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Reproductive tract infections among married women in peri-urban areas of Karachi, Pakistan: A population-based study, Neelofar Sami, Tazeen S. Ali, and E. Khan

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Smoking practices and nicotine dependence among adolescents in Pakistan, Neelofar Sami, Sandal Salim Noorani, Laila Saleem Lakhani, Ayaz Ghouse, and Salimah Valliani

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High HIV incidence among persons who inject drugs in Pakistan: greater risk with needle sharing and injecting frequently among the homeless., Rab Nawaz Samo, Arshad Altaf, Ajmal Agha, Omrana Pasha, Shafquat Rozi, Ashraf Memon, Saleem Azam, Meridith Blevins, Sten Vermund, and Sharaf Ali Shah

Low uptake of modern contraceptives : perspectives of service providers and end users of lady health worker program in Karachi, Pakistan :, Nasim Zahid Shah

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A multicenter matched case control study of breast cancer risk factors among women in Karachi, Pakistan., Uzma Shamsi, Shaista Khan, Sheheryar Usman, Saleem Soomro, and Iqbal Azam Syed

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Weight patterns and perceptions among female university students of Karachi: A cross sectional study, Zubaida Sirang, Hassaan Hasan Bashir, Bilal Jalil, Sarah Haroon Khan, Samia Altaf Hussain, Aneeqa Baig, Maryam Taufeeq, Kashif Samad, and Muhammad Masood Kadir

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Health belief model to predict sharps injuries among health care workers at first level care facilities in rural Pakistan, Mohammad Tahir Yousafzai, Amna Rehana Siddiqui, and Naveed Zafar Janjua

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Disparities in access to surgical care within a lower income country: an alarming inequity, Syed Nabeel Zafar, Zafar Fatmi, Aftab Iqbal, Roomasa Channa, and Adil H. Haider

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Research fatigue among injecting drug users in Karachi, Pakistan, Aysha Zahidie, Arshad Altaf, Adeel Ahsan, and Tanzil Jamali

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An overview of the predictors of depression among adult Pakistani women, Aysha Zahidie and Tanzil Jamali

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Impact of water and sanitation and health education interventions on health and hygiene behaviors: a study from a northern Pakistani village, Aysha Zahidie and Fauziah Rabbani

Association of obesity and occupational factors with infertility in Pakistani men seeking treatment at an infertility centre in Karachi_Pakistan : a case control study, Nida Zahid

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Nutrition political economy, Pakistan. Province Report:Sindh, Shehla Zaidi, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Rozina Mistry, Gul Nawaz, Noorya Hayat, Shandana Khan Mohmand, and Andres Mejia Acosta

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The political economy of undernutrition national report: Pakistan, Shehla Zaidi, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Shandana Khan Mohmand, and Andres Mejia Acosta

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Nutrition political economy, Pakistan. Provincial Report: Balochistan., Shehla Zaidi, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Suleman Qazi, Gul Nawaz, Noorya Hayat, Shandana Khan Mohmand, and Andres Mejia Acosta

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Nutrition political economy, Pakistan. Province Report: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Shehla Zaidi, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Abdul Wajid, Gul Nawaz, Kashif Nazeer, Shandana Khan Mohmand, and Andres Mejia Acosta

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Access to essential medicines in Pakistan: policy and health systems research concerns., Shehla Zaidi, Maryam Bigdeli, Noureen Aleem, and Arash Rashidian

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Nutrition policy in the post-devolution context in Pakistan: an analysis of provincial opportunities and barriers, Shehla Zaidi, Shandana Khan Mohmand, Noorya Hayat, Andres Mejia Acosta, and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutta

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Rational prescription & use: a snapshot of the evidence from Pakistan and emerging concerns, Shehla Zaidi and Noureen Aleem Nishtar

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Improvement in access and equity for maternal and neonatal health services: comparative advantages of contracted-out versus non-contracted-out facilities, Shehla Zaidi, Fauziah Rabbani, Iqbal Azam Syed, Atif Riaz, Peter Hatcher, Gul Nawaz Khan Nawaz Khan, Nousheen Pradhan, Hassan Fazli, Shiraz Shaikh, Yasmeen Khan, Syeda Nida Naim, and Unaib Rabbani

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Public private partnerships for improving maternal and neonatal health service delivery a review of the evidence, Shehla Zaidi, Rehana Salam, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Shahid Ansari, Syeda Subika Rizvi, Beenish Fatima Zehra, and Amin Pethani

Submissions from 2012

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Correlation of respiratory symptoms and spirometric lung patterns in a rural community setting, Sindh, Pakistan: A cross sectional survey, Imran Naeem Abbasi, Adeel Ahsan, and Asaad Ahmed Nafees

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Risk factors for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in urban Pakistan: A multicenter case-control study, Ahsan M. Ahmad, Saeed Akhtar, Rumina Hasan, Javaid A. Khan, Syed F. Hussain, and Nadeem Rizvi

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Comparing risk factors of HIV among hijra sex workers in Larkana and other cities of Pakistan: an analytical cross sectional study, Arshad Altaf, Aysha Zahidie, and Ajmal Agha

Association between geographic access to working family planning centres an unintended pregnancies among married women in district Thatta : a nested case control study, Sumera Aziz

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Perceptions, interpretations and implications of abortions: A qualitative enquiry among the legal community of Pakistan, Syed Khurram Azmat, Mohsina Bilgrami, Babar T. Shaikh, Ghulam Mustafa, and Waqas Hameed

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Post-abortion care family planning use in Pakistan, Syed Khurram Azmat, Waqas Hameed, Muhammad Ishaque, Ghulam Mustafa, and Aftab Ahmed

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Barriers and perceptions regarding different contraceptives and family planning practices amongst men and women of reproductive age in rural Pakistan: A qualitative study, Syed Khurram Azmat, Ghulam Mustafa, Waqas Hameed, Muhammad Ali, Aftab Ahmed, and Mohsina Bilgrami

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Rates of IUCD discontinuation and its associated factors among the clients of a social franchising network in Pakistan, Syed Khurram Azmat, Babar Tasneem Shaikh, Waqas Hameed, Mohsina Bilgrami, Ghulam Mustafa, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Ishaque, Wajahat Hussain, and Aftab Ahmed

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Delivering post-abortion care through a community-based reproductive health volunteer programme in Pakistan, Syed Khurram Azmat, Babar T. Shaikh, Ghulam Mustafa, Waqas Hameed, and Mohsina Bilgrami

Assessment of dietary compliances among patients with type diabetes mellitus receiving text message (SMS) reminder : a randomized control trial, Gulshan Bano

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Birth attendants as perinatal verbal autopsy respondents in low- and middle-income countries: a viable alternative?, C. Engmann, A. Garces, Imtiaz Jehan, J. Ditekemena, M. Phiri, V. Thorsten, M. Mazariegos, E. Chomba, Omrana Pasha, A. Tshefu, D. Wallace, E. M. McClure, R. L. Goldenberg, W. A. Carlo, L. L. Wright, and C. Bose

Validation of youth physical activity questionnaire (YPAQ) against actigraph GT3X accelerometer among preadolescents and adolescents in urban setting of Karachi, Pakistan, Shiraz Hashmi

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Young adults' perceptions on life prospects and gender roles as important factors to influence health behaviour: a qualitative study from Karachi, Pakistan, Syed Farid-ul Hasnain, Eva Johansson, Ingrid Mogren, and Gunilla Krantz

Assessing the quality of care for victims of motorcycle injuries: a case study in the tertiary care private and public hospitals of Karachi, Maryam Huda

Lead detoxifying effects of ascorbic acid among school going adolescents of Karachi: a cluster randomized control trail, Muhammad Ilyas

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Multiple genetic variants explain measurable variance in type 2 diabetes-related traits in Pakistanis., M. Islam, Tazeen Jafar, A. R. Wood, N. M. G. De Silva, M. Caulfield, N. Chaturvedi, and T. M. Frayling

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Use of biomass fuel and acute respiratory infections in rural Pakistan, N.Z. Janjua, B. Mahmood, V.K. Dharma, N. Sathiakumar, and M. Imran Khan

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High normal levels of albuminuria and risk of hypertension in Indo-Asian population., Saleem Jessani, Andrew S. Levey, Nish Chaturvedi, and Tazeen Jafar

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Scope of Policy Issues in eHealth: Results From a Structured Literature Review, Shariq Khoja, Hammad Durrani, Parvez Nayani, and Ammad Fahim

Effects of unconditional cash transfer status on maternal neonatal and child health service utilization among low-income households in Matiari, Sindh: a cross-sectional study, Atiya Hussain Khowaja

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Effect of air pollution on daily morbidity in Karachi, Pakistan, Haider Khwaja, Zafar Fatmi, Daniel Malashock, Zafar Aminov, Ambreen Kazi, Azhar Siddique, JahanZeb Qureshi Qureshi, and David Carpenter

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Lady health workers (LHWs) as flag bearers for children with disabilities in Pakistan, Seema Zainulabdin Lasi, Arisha Qayyum, and Ghazala Rafique

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Non fatal injuries among infants: A pilot study, Seema Zainulabdin Lasi, Ghazala Rafique, and Habib Peermohammad

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Socio-economic determinants of out-of-pocket Payments on healthcare in Pakistan, Ashar Muhammad Malik and Syed Iqbal Azam Shah

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Violence and abuse faced by junior physicians in the emergency department from patients and their caretakers: a nationwide study from Pakistan, Nabil Mahmood Mirza, Ali Imran Amjad, Abu Bakar Hafeez Bhatti, Fatima Tuz Zahra Mirza, Kashif Shakoor Shaikh, Jawad Kiani, Muhammad Muneeb Yusuf, Muhammad Umair Khan, Muhammad Enoos Nazir, Qazi Assad, Ayesha Humayun, Ismaa Ghazanfar Kiani, Sami Imran Amjad, and Sardar Zakariya Imam

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Extent of liver inflammation in predicting response to interferon alpha & Ribavirin in chronic hepatitis C patients: a cohort study, Shirin Mirza, Amna Rehana Siddiqui, Saeed Hamid, Muhammad Umar, and Shaheena Bashir

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Situation analysis of child labour in Karachi, Pakistan: A qualitative study, Asaad Ahmed Nafees, Kausar S. Khan, Zafar Fatmi, and Mubashir Aslam

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Indoor air pollution (PM2.5) due to secondhand smoke in selected hospitality and entertainment venues of Karachi, Pakistan, Asaad Ahmed Nafees, Tahir Taj, Muhammad Masood Kadir, Zafar Fatmi, Kiyoung Lee, and Nalini Sathiakumar

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CARRS Surveillance study: design and methods to assess burdens from multiple perspectives., Manisha Nair, Mohammed K. Ali, Vamadevan S. Ajay, Roopa Shivashankar, Viswanathan Mohan, Rajendra Pradeepa, Mohan Deepa, Hassan Khan, Muhammad Masood Kadir, Zafar Fatmi, Srinath Srinath Reddy, Nikhil Tandon, KM Venkat Narayan, and Dorairaj Prabhakaran

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CARRS Surveillance study: design and methods to assess burdens from multiple perspectives, Manisha Nair, Mohammed K. Ali, Vamadevan S. Ajay, Roopa Shivashankar, Viswanathan Mohan, Rajendra Pradeepa, Hassan M. Khan, Muhammad M. Kadir, Zafar Fatmi, K Srinath Reddy, Nikhil Tandon, KM Venkat Narayan, and Dorairaj Prabhakaran

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Implementing a public-private mix model for tuberculosis treatment in urban Pakistan: lessons and experiences, S. A. Naqvi, M. Naseer, A. Kazi, A. Pethani, I. Naeem, S. Zainab, and Zafar Fatmi

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Determinants of patient's satisfaction with health care system in Pakistan: a critical review, Maliha Naseer, Aysha Zahidie, and Babar Tasneem Shaikh

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Correlates of morbidity and mortality in severe necrotizing pancreatitis, K. M. Pal, Pashtoon Murtaza Kasi, Mohammad Tayyeb, S. M. Faisal Mosharraf, and Zafar Fatmi

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Frequency of poor quality of life and predictors of health related quality of life in cirrhosis at a tertiary care hospital Pakistan, Om Parkash, Romaina Iqbal, Fatima Jafri, Iqbal Azam, and Wasim Jafri

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Knowledge, attitude and practice of vitamin supplementation among patients visiting out-patient physicians in a teaching hospital in Karachi, Waris Qidwai, Zahra Aziz Samani, Iqbal Azam, and Saima Lalani

Exploring barriers and financial factors for maternal and newborn health service utilization: a comparision between areas served dy contracted and non-contracted rural health centres in the selected districts of Pakistan, Atif Riaz

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Stress, job satisfaction and work hours in medical and surgical residency programmes in private sector teaching hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan, Sameer-ur-Rehman, Rohail Kumar, Nabeel Siddiqui, Zain Shahid, Sadia Syed, and Masood Kadir

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Perceptions and experiences of women in Karachi, Pakistan regarding secondary infertility: results from a community-based qualitative study, Neelofar Sami and Tazeen S. Ali

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Risk factors for secondary infertility among women in Karachi, Pakistan., Neelofar Sami, Tazeen S. Ali, Saba Wasim, and Sarah Saleem

Exploring quality of mental health services in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, Sayed Mehraban Shah

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Experience of devolution in district health system of Pakistan: Perspectives regarding needed reforms, Shiraz Shaikh, Imran Naeem Abbasi, Asaad Ahmed Nafees, Aysha Zahidie, Zafar Fatmi, and Ambreen Kazi

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Respiratory symptoms and illnesses among brick kiln workers: A cross sectional study from rural districts of Pakistan, Shiraz Shaikh, Asaad Ahmed Nafees, Vikash Khetpal, Abid Ali Jamali, Abdul Manan Arain, and Akram Yousuf

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Deceased-donor organ transplantation: knowledge and attitudes among health care professionals managing critically ill patients in Karachi, Osama Tariq Siddiqui, Sobia Nizami, Emmon Raza, Mohammad Usman Ali, Marvi Bikak, Saad Siddiqui, Sania Hanif Khan, Mohsin Ali Mustafa, Sahoor Khan, and Zafar Fatmi

Dengue fever Igg sero-prevalence and associated factors in apparently healthy population age 15 To 60 years in South Kordofan State, Sudan 2012, Mohammed Ahmed Mohammed Soghaier

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Sindh health sector strategy 2012 – 2020, Shehla Zaidi

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NPO performance in reproductive health sector of low and middle income countries: what is the influence of the wider policy context, Shehla Zaidi and Xaher Gul

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Parallel NGO networks for HIV control: risks and opportunities for NGO contracting., Shehla Zaidi, Xaher Gul, and Noureen Aleem Nishtar

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Context matters in NGO–government contracting for health service delivery: a case study from Pakistan, Shehla Zaidi, Susannah H. Mayhew, John Cleland, and Andrew T. Green

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Role and contribution of private sector in moving towards universal health coverage in the eastern mediterranean region, Shehla Zaidi, Atif Riaz, Ali Thaver, Aftab Mukhi, and Latif Afzal Khan

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Risk factors for depression among married women belonging to higher and lower socioeconomic status in Karachi, Pakistan, Saima Zainab, Zafar Fatmi, and Ambreen Kazi

Submissions from 2011

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Predictors of unintentional poisoning among children under 5 years of age in Karachi: a matched case-control study, Bilal Ahmed, Zafar Fatmi, Amna R. Siddiqui, and Abdul L. Sheikh

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Knowledge, perceptions and myths regarding infertility among selected adult population in Pakistan: a cross-sectional study, Sumera Ali, Raafay Sophie, Ayesha M. Imam, Faisal I. Khan, Syed F. Ali, Annum Shaikh, and Syed Farid-ul-Hasnain

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Participatory action research as the approach for women’s empowerment, Ayesha Aziz, Meenaz Shams Hashwani, and Kausar S. Khan

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Knowledge of asthma management by general practitioners in Karachi, Pakistan: comparison with international guidelines, Nizar Bhulani, Saima Lalani, Aziez Ahmed, Yahya Jan, Urooba Faheem, Ayub Khan, Zahra Samani, Wahaj Aman, Faria Bhatti, Omar Hayat, and Sarah Saleem

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Administration of misoprostol by trained traditional birth attendants to prevent postpartum haemorrhage in home births in Pakistan: randomised placebo-controlled trial., J. Durocher, J. Blum, G. Walraven, N. F. Zuberi, and N. Mobeen

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NGOs and government partnership for health systems strengthening: A qualitative study presenting viewpoints of government, NGOs and donors in Pakistan, Iram Ejaz, Babar T. Shaikh, and Narjis Rizvi

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Assessing reasons for school/college dropout among young adults and implications for awareness about STDs and HIV/AIDS: findings from a population-based study in Karachi, Pakistan., Syed Farid-ul-Hasnain and Gunilla Krantz