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Promoting Women's Right to Health in India: Current Status and Action Steps

The health of Indian women is deeply intertwined with societal status, facing issues like son preference and lack of autonomy in health decisions. Factors such as fertility rates, maternal mortality, violence against women, alcoholism, malnutrition, and HIV/AIDS significantly impact women's health. Key action steps include ensuring food security, accessing government schemes, promoting community-based health services, and empowering women through self-help groups.

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Promoting Women's Right to Health in India: Current Status and Action Steps

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  1. Promoting Right to Health Dr V Rukmini Rao

  2. Current Status • The health of Indian Women is linked to their status in society • There is a strong son preference • High dowry cost for daughters • Women have little autonomy and decision-making over health related decisions • Poor health results in inadequate child care and affects economic well being of the household

  3. Women’s Health determined by Fertility to a great extent • High levels of infant mortality combined with the strong son preference motivate women to bear high numbers of children • Numerous pregnancies and closely spaced births result in premature births, low birth weight babies, and also increase the health risk for mothers

  4. Knowledge of Family Planning • While knowledge is universal, only 36% of married women aged 13 to 49 currently use modern contraceptives • Place of residence, education and religion are strongly related to both fertility and contraceptive use • Fertility rates for highly literate women are 2.2 children while for non literates it is 4

  5. Knowledge of Family Planning • 20% of married women in India either want to delay their next birth or have no more children, they are not able to space their pregnancies • Government programmes push female sterilization – 67%

  6. Maternal Mortality Rate • MMR 2004 – 2006 is 303 in Orissa compared to 254 in India • Developed countries – 4 to 7 • These are preventable deaths • Main cause lack of access to health care • 37% of all pregnant women receive no prenatal care

  7. Maternal Mortality Rate • 50% of Illiterate women received no care compared to 13% of literate women • Women in rural areas less likely to receive care – 42% • Urban women – 18% • Need to educate women about the importance of health care for safe child births

  8. NFHS Data – Child Births • Three quarters of all births took place at home • 2/3rds of all births were not attended by trained medical person

  9. Maternal Deaths related to easily treated problem • One in five maternal deaths can be treated easily • Anemia can be inexpensively treated by iron tablets • 50 to 90% all pregnant women suffer from anemia • Sever anemia accounts for 20% of all maternal deaths

  10. Violence Against Women is a Health Problem • Estimates for dowry deaths are 25,000 a year • Increase in reported level of crimes • Much of violence is faced at home • Rapes go unreported • 30% of all reported rapes happen to girls who were aged 16 and younger • Reported number of incidents of torture increased dramatically

  11. Alcoholism • Alcoholism is associated with increase in violence against women • Alcoholism socially accepted among adivasi community

  12. Malnutrition • Malnutrition is a serious problem among Indian women • This is made worse by heavy work demands, child bearing and rearing • Increased susceptibility to illness and consequent higher mortality • More than 53% of all girls and boys under 4 years were malnourished - 1996

  13. HIV/AIDS • HIV/AIDS epidemic is spreading rapidly and will increasing affect women’s health

  14. Action Steps • Basis of good health is good food • Ensure household food security • Community grain banks • Access to government schemes • Access to PDS, organizing to monitor • Access to NREGA • Access to ICDS services

  15. Action Steps • Organize at district and state level to access and improve services • Self Help Groups to initiate health care mechanisms

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