Leading gynaecologist and social activist, Dr Duru Shah, Director of Gynaecworld, Center for Assisted Reproduction & Women’s Health and FOGSI representative, talks on the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme, healthcare providers joining the crusade and importance of sanitation to ensure women’s health, with Raelene Kambli
Do you think that the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme is needed?
The Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme is needed because it has brought girls into focus.
What are your observations on the its implementation in India?
Implementation in India will be a challenge because it is the mindset of the society which has to change. Cultural norms which have been established over a long period, will take decades to change. It is the education and empowerment of women which will help women to assert their rights. But it is the education of men to understand that women are equally capable, which will finally help to take this programme further. And above all, if there is a strong political will, it will work.
How can the healthcare fraternity be a part of this programme?
The healthcare fraternity is totally devoted to this cause and would very much like to be involved in this programme. As a matter of fact, the National Association of Gynecologists, FOGSI, has condemned female foeticide and has passed a resolution to deregister any member of the association who has been convicted for this crime. Of course, as happens in every field, there are some black sheeps who offer their services in various ways: either to assist in the detection of the sex of the baby or creating a baby with the desired sex. All this is done under wraps, hence no proof is available to nail them.
Can you name some similar campaigns which the healthcare industry has initiated in the past?
Doctors have always volunteered to participate in any such programmes which benefits the under privileged. I think as doctors, ours is the only profession which offers expertise, time and either free or subsidised services to the economically deprived, in various government and municipal hospitals in the urban areas and through camps in the rural areas. As gynaecologists, we have worked with the Health Ministry on various projects such as adolescent reproductive and sexual health, safe motherhood, 12 x 12 anaemia programme, and safe abortions, to name a few.
You have been associated with campaigns for women’s health and empowerment. How is the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme different or similar to the rest?
This programme has just been initiated. We have yet to see more action besides the speeches and fund allocations. It is important to go to the grassroot level and see what’s happening. I have been into villages and the urban slums. I know the problems which women face. They have no idea about the laws in their favour, nor the rights they have. Even whilst running the Kishori programme in the slums of Dharavi, we heard of girls getting married off by the age of 16 years. Even though we have brilliant laws for women’s benefit nobody implements them. As a matter of fact, through the Kishori project we could postpone three such marriages with the assistance of the girls who had been educated and empowered with us in the project.
What should be the way to implement such programmes successfully?
The way forward could be:
- Involvement of all stakeholders – make them feel that it is their programme too.
- Involve all religious heads to remove the bias, as members of some religions strongly follow what is preached to them by their leaders.
- Make the law very stringent and penalties very heavy.
- Offer incentives to NGOs working in this area.
- Involve medical experts who are passionate about this cause, to offer crucial advice
- Encourage youth-friendly centres like our Kishori Project to mushroom all over. I would be very happy to participate and share the long experience I have had in this area.
- Involve the boys in this programme and educate them too.
What are the challenges in successful implementation of such a large scale programme?
The challenges will mainly be to overcome the attitudes of society. Even some of our ministers think so erroneously when they blame women for their dress sense as the reason for provoking men to sexually abuse them. This is just one example. But I come across many such examples where there is marital violence, both – physical and emotional, even when a girl is highly educated and financially independent, only because the man feels that it is the duty of his wife to attend to all his demands and wishes. And this happens because the son has usually been raised to think that he is superior to his sister or his wife! If we can overcome this challenge we could progress very fast.
What is your message to the industry on this aspect?
Have messages for all on TV and through various media to learn to respect women, which actually should start at home. When young boys see their mothers being treated shabbily, they think that is normal and treat their wives the same way as their fathers did. This must change! The change has to begin from home. The industry can truly support by changing mindset of society and supporting initiatives which help in spreading the right messages.
Speaking about sanitation and hygiene in India, how does it affect women’s health?
Hygiene and sanitation in India will improve with better infrastructure. It is the government’s responsibility to create water drainage and sewage systems, toilets etc which can serve the population even in the villages. Water conservation should be the responsibility of all responsible citizens of the country. And it should be the responsibility of each individual to clean up before leaving the toilet. Innovations have made their way in sanitation, by use of chemicals instead of water to flush away toilets. Facilities should be available to young girls to handle their menstrual periods whilst at school. We have seen villages where sanitary napkins are not used only because there is no disposal system.
Will investing money in water and sanitation have huge return on investment in terms of increased productivity and reduced costs?
We all know that poor hygiene and sanitation lead to infections and infections are the commonest causes of diseases in our country. By not investing in water and sanitation, we are being “penny wise and pound foolish”
What is your message to the healthcare industry?
The healthcare industry should use every opportunity to educate the masses on hand washing- the why, when and how of it. A simple process like hand washing before eating, after using the washroom etc. can go a long way towards a healthy nation.
How can the industry incorporate Clean India campaign as part of CSR?
The healthcare industry could highlight the importance of cleanliness through health camps, school education programmes, TV ads, radio jingles, social media etc adding to the visibility of the Clean India Campaign. They often utilise celebrities to promote their products, they could utilise the same celebrities to give health messages. We made four short films for TV, especially one on female foeticide with none other than Amitabh Bachchan etc., but we could not reach out to many, as we could not buy commercial space on TV for these infomercials! This is where the health industry can chip in, besides promoting their products, they could create beautiful ads which would convey the right messages in a brilliant way, to the millions of Indian parked in front of the TV screens.
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