International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health | May 2020 | Vol 7 | Issue 5 Page 1946 International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health Munjal M et al. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2020 May;7(5):1946-1949 http://www.ijcmph.com pISSN 2394-6032 | eISSN 2394-6040 Original Research Article Spectrum of otorhinolaryngologic ailments in the North Indian state of Punjab: a seven year retrospective study of peripheral health camps Manish Munjal*, Porshia Rishi, Nitika Tuli, Harjinder Singh, Shivam Talwar, Salony Sharma, Shubham Munjal INTRODUCTION Deafness reversible and otherwise, nasal obstruction benign or malignant, hoarseness secondary to a simple vocal nodule and a neck node, tubercular or malignant, are the common ailments that necessitate an in-depth evaluation and services of a specialist. Timely diagnosis and intervention medical or surgical as the case maybe, is the need of the hour. Peripheral grass root health care services are extended by tertiary health care facilities. In India the “medical camps” are held independently in educational institutions or in collaboration with philanthropic non-government organizations Religious institutions are foremost in organizing these charitable camps. Specialized Oto-rhino-laryngology and head neck services are provided by the ENT specialist. Punjab, state in North India, the land of 5 rivers now has 2 main rivers namely Satluj and Beas which divides this fertile land into 3 major belts - Majha, Malwa and Doaba. Epidemiological studies focusing on peripheral ENT health care are rare in world literature. 1 ABSTRACT Background: Community otorhinolaryngology services have a role to play in the early diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of the individuals with low socioeconomic status. Methods: A retrospective study of 52 ear, nose, throat and head neck, peripheral camps held during a 7-year period, i.e. 2012-2019 was undertaken. The camps were organised by Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana. The epidemiological and gender profile of the patients with otorhinolaryngologic complaints was studied and statistically analysed. Results: A total of 52 camps were organized over a period of 7 years (2012 to 2019). Maximum number of camps were organized in Malwa belt (49) with 65% being organized in Ludhiana city followed by Barnala and Sangrur. Maximum number of camps were organized at the religious places (44%) followed by non-governmental organizations (33%) and schools (23%). Male patients (55.7%) outnumbered the female at the camps. Out of 576 patients with nasal complaints 56.7% were male while 43.3% were female. Out of 538 patients with throat complaints 56.8% were male while 43.2% were female. Conclusions: Maximum camps were held in the Malwa belt of Punjab. Otological ailments are of concern for the public. Relief and awareness from the camps of previous years brought about more attendance and request to hold more camps. Keywords: Camp, Complaints, Female, Male, Nasal, Throat Department of ENT, Dayanand Medical College Ludhiana, Punjab, India Received: 21 March 2020 Revised: 10 April 2020 Accepted: 20 April 2020 *Correspondence: Dr. Manish Munjal, E-mail: manishmunjaldr@yahoo.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20202011