The population of 2 representative villages in Abu-al-Khasib field practice area of the College of Medicine, Basrah in Southern Iraq was surveyed during 1979 for baseline information relating to demographic and health characteristics. The total population covered was 3399. Women of child bearing age together with children under 15 years of age accounted for 68% of the population. The birth rate was 49 and death rate, 14.5 per 1000. Nearly 10% of the morbidity was evident among women of child bearing age. The enquiry revealed a general awareness concerning the existing health care facilities available in the area. Local health centres were utilised mainly for treatment of childhood illnesses. Only 12% of the mothers used them for care during pregnancy.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the competence of rotating residents in handling clinical problems, falling under the purview of the major clinical disciplines, which they come across during their routine work. Three hundred and one rotating residents (55% of the total) who graduated in June 1981 from the four universities of Iraq, namely, Mustansiryia, Basrah, Mosul and Baghdad, and were currently undergoing their residency posting in the various hospitals of Iraq were selected for the study. Two approaches were used to assess the level of competence: first, on the basis of the resident's responses to fifty simulated patient-management problems and, secondly, their critical performance in patient care adjudged by their respective supervisors. A minimum passing level (MPL) was fixed for patient management problems (PMP). The score for the consultant's observations could range from -70 to +100 to represent the very poor and the very good performance. Only 2% of the residents were found to have reached the minimum pass level of competence taking their overall performance in the various disciplines. No significant variation in performance was observed in relation to the university of graduation. None of the residents could reach the MPL in the case of obstetrics and gynaecology. In the case of medicine and medical emergency the findings were almost similar. The residents put up a much better performance in orthopaedics and paediatrics (45.0% and 27.5% respectively). According to the supervisors' assessment nearly two-thirds of the residents secured at least 50% of the maximum score. The study underscores the need to redefine our educational objectives specifically, with aim of developing competences at a defined level in the learner befitting the needs of the health system through a competency-based curriculum.

SummaryLife table methods are employed complementary to standard rates to analyse Kuwaiti mortality data due to infectious diseases. The procedure comprises total mortality, multiple-decrement, cause—elimination and cause—delay life tables. To improve reliability of estimated age-specific death rates, the numerator was based on the three-year average of deaths (1981-83), while the denominator was the mid 1982 population projected from the 1980 and 1985 population censuses. To overcome the difficulty of age heaping, both mortality and census data were graduated using the natural cubic spline approach. Proportional mortality was maximum in intestinal infectious diseases particularly in the rural Jahra Governorate. Infectious diseases caused 29.4 and 37.1% of male and female deaths respectively in infancy and early childhood. The male and female life expectancy at birth were 67 and 72 years, respectively.The multiple-decrement life tables showed that 3,346 men and 2,986 women out of the birth cohort (100,000) will ultimately die from infectious diseases. The average number of years lost due to infectious diseases were 0.75 years in both men and women. Relating this loss to the affected (saved) subpopulation only, large gains in life expectancy occur (22.3 and 25.2 years in men and women respectively).