CC BY
8Faryal Dehqan
St. Petersburg Peter the Great Polytechnic University (St. Petersburg, Russia)
Parwin Arsin
Herat University, Herat Online School (Kabul, Afghanistan)
THE PROMINENT ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE MEDICAL ECONOMY: FROM DOCTORS TO MANAGERS, A COMPREHENSIVE VIEW
Abstract: every research project in Afghanistan faces various problems such as security, corruption, access to areas, illiteracy, lack of familiarity with research, capacity of research colleagues and travel restrictions. In addition to the problems mentioned, the limitations of this research are limited access to important resources, lack of government cooperation, and restrictions for women. Considering the existing problems and limitations, it has been tried to meet the best standards of research in the given conditions and collect data related to the research at the same time. This research suggests that more research should be done in this area and the impact of gender equality on medical economics should be investigated. Also, it is suggested to implement various programs to inform women and use new strategies to attract women's professional support. The main purpose of this research is to investigate the prominent role of women in medical economy and to analyze the paths that women doctors, managers and other specialists in this field can take in order to improve the conditions of women in the field of medicine and medical economy.
Keywords: Afghanistan, medical economy, women, challenges, solutions, professional development.
Research literature.
Holy Quran, Surah Nisa, 32) Translation: For men, what they have earned is a benefit, and for women, what they have earned is a benefit.
УДК 33
As one of the most important members of society, women have the right to play an equal and equivalent role with men in all fields of society, including medical economy. Medical economy, as one of the vital and fundamental sectors, with the activity and interaction of women, can contribute to the better development and progress of the field of medicine in the country. Medical economy is the effect of medicine, especially human resources, including doctors, specialists, managers and researchers, on the country's economy. This field of applied studies provides the possibility of systematic and detailed examination of existing problems in the way of health development for everyone. The main goal of medical economics is to use economic theories to understand the behaviour and decisions of various individuals, health service providers, and public and private organizations in the decision-making process. (Johannes Hopkins website)
Recent research shows that the role of women in the field of medical economy has undergone many changes and developments, but still effective measures should be taken to strengthen it. A study was conducted under the name "Medical literacy and healthy behaviour among women in Ghazni, Afghanistan" and the purpose of this study is to investigate the medical literacy of women in Afghanistan and its related factors. In this study, a survey was conducted in Hazarjat in four densely populated areas of Ghazni, Jaghori, Malestan, Nahor, and Qarabag. Two trained female interviewers interviewed 322 women (aged 15-61) voluntarily orally in Dari or Pashto and assessed their level of medical literacy using the HLS-EU-Q1, relevant sociodemographics, and health behaviors. they did As a result, women's medical literacy (both educated and illiterate) is low even compared to other Asian countries. Medical literacy is related to age and education. This study found mixed evidence of the relationship between medical literacy and contextual factors, help-seeking, and health-related behaviors. Additionally, this study provides new data on medical literacy and surprising insights into its relationship to women's health behaviors in Afghanistan, thereby contributing to health and hygiene status. This study calls for the recognition of health literacy as a public health challenge in Afghanistan and other poor countries affected by the crisis.
However, this study is limited in terms of methodology, context, and data collection process, as well as policy relevance. (Stephani Harsh and Asadullah Javed, p. 9, 2021)
In the review research "Towards Gender Equality in the Health Sector in Afghanistan" it is stated that the gender inequality index in Afghanistan shows that 70% of the backwardness of this country is due to the limited participation of women in the workforce, the low level of education and the poor health status of women. . The results of this index are organized into four sections: overall gender inequality, analysis of the status of gender inequality and health differences, social norms and behaviors affecting health, and finally, policy review. This research is based on information from various sources, including basic and applied research, field surveys and existing information systems. To better understand women's vulnerabilities, there is a need for more systematic data on the prevalence, scope and health impacts of gender-based violence and traditional harmful practices. Without this information, health policies and programs cannot optimally respond to women's vulnerabilities. (Sima Samar and Anwar Aqil, p. 78, 2014)
Also, the "Critical Role of Women Leaders in Health" study examines how women doctors and managers work to improve health outcomes, empower the workforce, and pave the way for more compassionate and equitable leadership by women in the health sector. Despite the progress made by and for women managers in the health sector, there is still a long way to go. Women in leadership continue to face challenges including gender inequality, sexual harassment and other forms of unconscious and conscious discrimination. The study concluded that the future is undoubtedly bright for women in the health sector, as the sector welcomes more women in positions of power and leadership. (Melissa Hegston, AMN Health Services, 2023)
Another review called "Women in Medicine" examines the evidence, issues, and explanations for understanding the impact of changing the composition of the medical workforce. This study identified evidence that identifies some of the effects of gender on practice culture, work practices, and organization. There are problems with some of the research methods, but it identifies areas for further research. This article
suggests that in order to understand the effects of changing gender composition in medicine, it is necessary to use more complex research designs to examine the structural, economic, historical, and social contexts that interact to shape the culture of medicine. This provides a basis for examining the impact and consequences of these changes and is directly related to workforce planning and understanding the changing nature of health professions education and health care delivery. (Sue Kilminster, p. 41, 2006)
Also, the article "Women and Medicine" presents challenges and suggestions for the development and excellence of women's medical profession. This article refers to the economic and organizational consequences of the presence of women in the medical profession, the importance of career counseling for them, attention to the family needs of doctors, and the need for gender balance in clinical leadership in the field of health. This research suggests that a continued focus on the development of women and men as future clinical leaders is essential for health services to achieve the quality of leadership they need. (John Dicker and Susan Shepard, p. 547, 2010)
One of the major problems in the previous research conducted in the field of medical economics, there is a lack of updating information, a lack of providing solutions and suggestions to promote women's company and their professional development. This shows that there is a need for more research in this field. Also, due to the lack of research related to this topic in Afghanistan, it is very difficult to find articles related to this field. The existing articles in this field are more focused on women's health issues and their challenges and have not paid attention to the issue of medical economy and women's professional development. Since research in this field has not been done in Afghanistan, it is important to conduct this research and further research in this field.
"With women's leadership, your leadership changes, and with their organization, organizations are transformed". Mary Robinson
From the past until now, women have had a close and useful relationship with medicine, but for various reasons, which have been investigated in this research, the role of women has been neglected. The main purpose of this research is to investigate
the prominent role of women in medical economy and to analyze the paths that women doctors, managers and other specialists in this field can take to improve the conditions of women in the field of medicine and medical economy. This research has investigated the role of women in the medical economy, the existing challenges and opportunities comprehensively. The innovations and differences of this research compared to previous researches, focusing on the role of women in the medical economy, comprehensively examining the role of women from doctors to managers in this field, expressing different strategies to promote women's company and explaining opportunities for women's professional advancement in It is the field of medical economy. The method used in this research is field method and cluster sampling. This research has tried to investigate the role of women in the medical economy of the country by collecting data from the level of Herat province. The information and results obtained from this research have been shared with the Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Public Health and health institutions so that practical action can be taken to improve and develop the role of women.
Every research project in Afghanistan faces various problems such as security, corruption, access to areas, illiteracy, lack of familiarity with research, capacity of research colleagues and travel restrictions. In addition to the problems mentioned, the limitations of this research are limited access to important resources, lack of government cooperation, and restrictions for women. Considering the existing problems and limitations, it has been tried to meet the best standards of research in the given conditions and collect data related to the research at the same time. This research suggests that more research should be done in this area and the impact of gender equality on medical economics should be investigated. Also, it is suggested to implement various programs to inform women and use new strategies to attract women's professional support. The main purpose of this research is to investigate the prominent role of women in medical economy and to analyze the paths that women doctors, managers and other specialists in this field can take in order to improve the conditions of women in the field of medicine and medical economy.
Methodology.
This research was conducted in 2024 and the area covered was the people of Herat province over 18 years of age and at least school graduates, especially medical students and medical staff. This research has been done using field research and cluster sampling. First, previous articles related to the topic were collected from reliable Internet services such as Google Scholar and Research Gate. These sources were obtained by searching keywords such as "Afghan women", "medical economy", "doctors" and "women in Afghanistan". Also, to collect data, an online questionnaire was designed and shared with the people of Herat province, especially women (medical staff and medical students).
This questionnaire is designed to measure public awareness about the prominent role of women in the medical economy in four sections. The first part of the questionnaire is dedicated to collecting demographic information of the respondents. This information includes gender, age, marital status, educational status, employment status, economic status and the role of women in the medical economy. The second part focuses on the respondents' knowledge about medical economics and the prominent role of women in this field. The third part examines the respondents' attitude towards the obstacles, challenges faced by women in the medical economy and a solution for the advancement of their professions and the promotion of women's participation in this field. The fourth part focuses on the performance of the respondents and is measured through questions related to supporting and encouraging women in the medical economy, fighting challenges and trying to advance the role of women. In all questions of the questionnaire, closed questions have been used. Except for three items that allow respondents to provide their comments in the space provided. After collecting the questionnaires, the data and figures were analyzed using Excel software. Finally, the results and collected data were analyzed and this article was written.
Data analysis.
161 people participated in this survey. Of these, 111 were women and 50 were men. Of which 67 people were active in the field of medical economy and 94 of them
were users of medical economy activities. According to the survey, it has been said that 96 percent of women experience challenges and obstacles in the medical economy. 97% said that there are solutions and opportunities for women's professional advancement in the field of medicine and women's economy. 144 of the participants of the survey were of the opinion that changes can be made in the field of medical economics to make the role of women more prominent.
In the analysis of the presented data, the following are very important and vital:
1. Number of participants: 161 people participated in the survey, which is a significant number for evaluation.
2. Gender distribution: The number of women (111 people) was significantly more than men (50 people), which indicates a greater focus on the role of women in the medical economy.
3. Challenges and barriers for women: 86% of participants (138 people) confirmed that women face specific challenges in the medical economy. This shows the society's high attention to the existing structural problems for women in this field.
4. The need for changes and improvements: the majority (144 people) believe that changes should be made to make the role of women in the medical economy more prominent.
5. Gender equality: More than 88% (143 people) believe that gender equality in the leadership of the medical economy can lead to the improvement of decisions and the quality of services.
Conclusion:
The results show that most of the participants care about the role of women in the medical economy and believe that women face many challenges. Also, the majority believes that with appropriate changes and better opportunities, women can play a more prominent role and gender equality can lead to an improvement in the quality of decisions and health services. Based on the data, it is predicted that in the future, the number of women in prominent positions in the medical economy will increase and improvements will be made to strengthen their role. Also, supporting gender equality and creating more opportunities can lead to growth and innovation in the field of
medical economics. The analysis shows that most of the participants are aware of the challenges for women in the field of medical economics and confirm the necessity of creating opportunities and changes to strengthen their role in this sector. Gender equality is known as one of the main solutions to improve the situation and innovation in medical fields.
REFERENCES:
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