Therefore, it is an irony that most women in healthcare remain unsung heroes. Profiling the role of nurses in India, Assistant Editor, M Neelam Kachhap’s story, ‘Looking after the ministering angels’ (page 61 of this issue) finds that nurses are overworked, underpaid and in many cases under-appreciated; all factors contributing to an exodus of nurses from India to greener pastures. They may be the best ‘ambassadors’ for India’s talent in healthcare but unless we lift the status of nursing staff, and acknowledge their pivotal role in bettering clinical outcomes, the exodus will continue, and worse, nursing in India will cease to attract top drawer talent.
The health of women in India is not just about availability but also empowering access to healthcare facilities. For instance, a study in the December 2012 issue of International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health found that continued childbearing driven by son preference accounts for seven per cent of all births in the country. The study titled “The Desire for Sons and Excess Fertility: A Household-Level Analysis of Parity Progression in India” by Sanjukta Chaudhuri, found that Indian women without any sons are more likely to continue having children than those without any daughters. Despite wanting to have smaller families, women whose first child was a daughter were more likely to have another child than those whose first child was a son, and women whose first two children were daughters were more likely to have another child than those whose first two children were sons. Thus, it is no surprise that India’s maternal mortality ratios (MMR) are worrisome. As Raelene Kambli, Senior Correspondent, found when she tracked India’s efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for MMR (see story ‘MMR in India & the race against time’, page 9 in this issue), the issue is a complex one, with traditional practices and prejudices as well as poverty and illiteracy queering the pitch. At the other end of the spectrum, we have specialised birthing centres, with spa-like infrastructure to take the birthing experience to a different level. (See story on page 67).
Midst the gloom, women leaders/entrepreneurs in healthcare provide a glimmer of inspiration and hope. Senior Correspondent Lakshmipriya Nair’s interview (see page 71) with Kanchan Naikawadi, founder, Indus Health Plus as well as messages from women in leadership roles like Sangita Reddy, Executive Director – Operations, Apollo Hospitals Group and Ameera Shah, MD & CEO – Metropolis Healthcare (pages 58-60) among others, prove that while women leaders in healthcare are still the exception rather than the norm, they are in an enviable position to urge Indian women to be more proactive about their health issues.
Dr Duru Shah, Chairperson, Gynaecworld is already on this path, spearheading quite a few social initiatives aimed at empowering women, ranging from rape victims to adolescents vulnerable to sexual abuse to increasing awareness on legal rights. In her interview, (page 70) she says that women are the mothers of tomorrow’s children so by taking care of women’s health today, we are also ensuring the good health of the next generation and building a healthy nation. So on that parting thought, let’s hope that Express Healthcare’s status check on next year’s Women’s Day will find more cause for cheer.
Viveka Roychowdhury
Editor