Need to boost female health and hygiene
493 viewsBy admin - Thu Mar 18, 9:03 pm
By Sunita Vakil
The UPA government has been proclaiming time and again that health and education is their top priority. But nothing could be further from the truth. While the revelation that allocation for women centric schemes in the Union budget dropped from 9.2 % in 2004-2006 to 3.2 in 2009-2010 is benumbering, what is more shocking is that gender specific schemes form only 2.4 % of the women and child development ministry’s total budget . This proves once more that India’s record of treating its women is most disheartening. At the same time, it reminds us yet again that a vast gulf separates official claim from reality.
The CBGA reveals that child development schemes form 97.2 % of the WCD ministry’s budget leaving merely 2.4 % for women related issues. This does not speak well for a government that is insensitive to women’s right to equal opportunity and the need for specific measures to enable them to overcome handicaps arising from gender disparity in the country. Despite the UPA’s claims of creating a separate ministry for prioristing women and child related programmes, nothing much has been achieved on the ground. This deserves more than passing attention because it reflects the deep irony that characterizes the position of women in India. Many have, no doubt, forged ahead in all fields of life but there are millions of women who have no control over their destiny. They suffer not only denial of opportunity to develop their full potential but also suffer the worst kind of violence and oppression. The shame is that despite breaking through the glass ceiling in their respective callings, they have to contend with discrimination and sexual harassment. Statistics reveal that over 120,000 women die due to childbirth related problems every year as a consequence of abysmal-public facilities. Also, about 35 % women in India experience physical or sexual violence.
While the state and the centre invariably claim that there has been a remarkable improvement in women healthcare, year after year the data paints a grim picture. This year’s report, released on the occasion of the International Women’s day, is no different and the indices for India remain as shocking as ever, reminding us once again of the lack of priority given to women by the UPA government. This is a glaring irony given that such facts are usually not associated with economies that are growing at a tremendous rate as India’s. Statistical details contained in the report are indicative of the situation that prevails across the country. For instance, according to the report prepared by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). India has the maximum number of women dying in the Asia-Pacific region due to the discriminatory treatment in healthcare, nutrition access and sex selective abortion. The report recognizes that in 2007, about 42.7 million women died due to these reasons. What is shocking is that maternal mortality rate is still over 300 per one lakh deliveries. Another indicator of women’s condition is that India has the lowest percentage of female population after Butan in the Asia-Pacific region despite a better sex-ratio at birth. The report also emphasizes the shocking levels of gender disparity in the country by revealing the wide gap between male and female child mortality rates. While about 72 out of 1000 male children under the age of five died in 2006, it was 81 in the case of female children. This is a pointer to the unusual challenge India faces in female healthcare even as its economic growth rates move up. Also, the report says that women in Asia pacific region suffer from the lowest rates or political representation, employment and property ownership. The government may talk itself hoarse about gender empowerment but how earnest is the present regime in priorotesing women centric issue is evident from the details of the UNDP report.
However, in a bid to boost female health and hygiene in rural India, the health Ministry is working on a scheme to provide sanitary napkins to rural women with the objective of reducing the chance of reproductive tract infections and other sexual diseases. “India has to learn to look after its girls better if it has to pursue its inclusive agenda of social development. The govt. is in the process of developing an even stronger thrust on feminine health and hygiene and is finalizing an intervention to take care of adolescent girl’s sexual and reproductive health needs”, Union Health Minister Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad is reported to have said recently. The scheme, if fully implemented, may touch the lives of nearly 20 crore women.
Agreed that the lack of priority given to women shows up in the recent report, but undeniably the centre’s proposal to provide free sanitary napkins to women living below poverty line is more than welcome. Many poor women and young girls suffer from unhygienic conditions because they cannot afford sanitary napkins and are forced to use ragged clothes, gunny bags, dirty and old mattresses and even soiled paper. Even middle class women cannot buy branded napkins and have to do with what they can afford. This poses a serious threat to their reproductive health and is one of the main reasons of high incidence of reproductive tract infections in India. The scheme, if implemented, will go a long way in reducing the chances of sexual diseases during menstrual cycles.
While the decision is an important step forward in promoting public health, the government must realize its responsibility towards female healthcare and work sincerely to improve human development indicators. It needs no reiteration that young girls in rural areas suffer the most. They are forced to miss school during their monthly periods due to acute embarrassment. It is also one of the major causes of depression among them. Many of them even drop out of school as they cannot face jeers of fellow students. For the same reason, while their primary enrolment is high at 48.4 %, girls in our country also constitute half of the out of school children. Besides, due to the social stigma, young girls in rural areas are reluctant to seek healthcare facilities which ultimately worsens the problems leading to high incidence of gynecological disorders among them.
Sadly enough, supply of sanitary napkins free of cost or at subsidized rates is not going to change the lives of women. It is a known fact that most rural households do not have toilets. Also, there is lack of clean water. There is need to construct clean, community toilets with water facilities. It is also necessary to create awareness among the target groups about the importance of healthcare for women. This in turn requires expanding the reach of education so that more and more women become aware of health related problems and their solutions. For, this alone is the key to a better quality of life for them. The need of the hour is social, educational and economic empowerment of women rather than a token political reservation.
The writer is a daily based journalist and can be contacted at sunitavakil@yahoo.co.in , sunita.vakil@rediffmail.com
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