Women’s health in India: Need of the hour?

Sandeep Vyas, Founder and CEO of Mildcares’ Gynocup talks about the current of status of women’s health in India and highlights the need of the hour

In India, improving women’s access to healthcare is essential for achieving gender equality. It’s necessary to take into account the facts; according to the World Economic Forum’s 2021 Global Gender Gap Report, India now ranks 140th out of 156 nations in terms of gender disparity. This represents how the nation is doing in terms of health and survival, economic opportunity and participation, academic achievement, and political empowerment.

It is crucial to scale up efforts to support girls and women across growth metrics in order to pave the way for gender equality. To enhance women’s healthcare is one such strategy, for instance by encouraging women to take ownership of their health and hygiene through programmes that provide equal access to high-quality care.

Women are expected to suffer silently and are taught to do so. She is regarded as a high value woman in the society if she is able to do that. As a result, concerns concerning their health are perpetually ignored and never brought up. It is worse in rural India than in urban areas. Numerous women experience high-risk pregnancies as a result of disregarding their nutritional needs and subtle warning indications of difficulties. The prevalence of mensuration related issues, anaemia and urinary tract infections (UTIs) among women is quite high in this place. However, they frequently forgo treatment and wind up making their difficulties worse. Even for serious issues, women are hesitant to travel great distances for medical examinations. Along with this, lack of awareness on menstruation hygiene and wellness is prevalent in India. With inclusion of latest technology, menstruation cups that are affordable and designed in order to give economical and long lasting solutions given in both rural and urban sectors of India. However, that requires proper knowledge and awareness in the rural areas so that women start to use them.

To the greatest extent possible, women, girls, and other menstruators can achieve their full potential with the help of effective menstrual hygiene management (MHM). It is time that rural India should adopt a multi-sectoral, holistic strategy to work to enhance menstruation hygiene in its operations domestically because the detrimental effects of poor menstrual health and cleanliness cut across sectors.

Key highlights:

The improvement of menstrual health and hygiene depends on access to inexpensive, sustainable menstruation products, but millions of women worldwide cannot afford them.

The best way to promote good menstrual health hygiene and enhance developmental outcomes for women and adolescent girls is through a holistic strategy, which integrates education with infrastructure, products, and initiatives to combat societal taboos and stigma surrounding the issue.

To give women and girls access to affordable menstruation products and knowledge on reproductive health, social entrepreneurs from all over the world are developing innovative new solutions and igniting change in the industry.

Education about women’s health is crucial for both patients and healthcare professionals, in addition. This is particularly true for illnesses like endometriosis, other period-related problems, and anaemia that has been incorrectly diagnosed and is not acknowledged. We can increase the base of healthcare professionals’ knowledge about current advancements and efficient methods by educating them, for example through training modules.

For instance, being pregnant may be both a joyful and anxious time. established gynaecology anaemia checklists throughout India to assist physicians in managing iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy and prevent health issues, improve maternal health, and ensure safer childbirths.

The most recent evidence-based recommendations streamline service delivery across the board with such techniques. Scaling access is a crucial component of the overall picture as these healthcare solutions become accessible to help medical professionals and people. Collective action by numerous stakeholders is essential to providing women in underserved areas, such as rural and peri-urban areas, with healthcare options. A sustainable strategy requires the cooperation of national and state governments, business associations, private parties, and public-private partnerships. Additionally, we want to improve treatment alternatives in rural areas by empowering medical experts and rural healthcare workers.

By having access to trusted information, women can address health and hygiene issues they may have previously neglected and thrive in their personal, social, and work life.

It is past time to work to promote science-based learning among 1,500 early children from socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods, 45 per cent of whom are girls. We are working to increase their understanding of health issues like non-communicable diseases, nutrition, and menstrual hygiene while also enabling them to participate in both indoor and outdoor sports. This is done in addition to assisting them in improving their problem-solving skills through access to digital tools for science-based learning. We want to make sure kids keep excellent health so they can attain their full potential by equipping them with the skills necessary to be future-ready, such as through encouraging healthy choices and preventive behaviours.

Women’s health must be a top priority for the entire country, supported by the synergy of teamwork and cutting-edge medical technologies. I firmly believe that everyone’s capacity to live a complete life depends on their state of health and sense of dignity. To advance the future of equity and empowerment in Indian healthcare, we intend to keep investing in extending the range of services available to women and girls.