Is Women's Health A Strategic Priority?

Women are the bedrock of a family's general health, so ensuring access to high-quality care can benefit children and families. Women's rights have been acknowledged as human rights for more than two decades. Because women's health is community health, this sentiment also extends to health care. "Healthy Women, Healthy World," as one well-known slogan goes, encapsulates the reality that women, as caretakers of family health, play a crucial role in preserving the health and overall well-being of their communities. Due to the multiple duties women play, they are frequently preoccupied with the health of their spouse or children, neglecting their own needs. So, there is a pressing need to understand women's health beyond reproductive care. And how and why the ailments affect women differently than males:

Mental Health: Mental health surfaced as a major health issue during the pandemic. According to several reports, 374 million people have suffered from anxiety disorders in 2020. From this figure, 52 million cases were reported against women. The increased burden of domestic responsibilities and childcare is another important factor leading to mental health problems among women. During the epidemic, families were placed on lockdown, and the stress of operating a household while also maintaining a professional life became mentally draining for women.

According to researchers, during the COVID-19 epidemic, pregnant and postpartum women reported significant levels of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and post-traumatic stress in a global survey. Such high levels of distress may have ramifications for women's health and development. The virus has made it difficult for people to see their relatives, including during family births and hospital visits after giving birth. A new mother is left alone during this time, relying solely on medical personnel, who may not always provide the kind of assistance that a young mother requires.

Although postnatal depression has been recognised as a severe public health issue, with prevalence rates ranging from 10% to 40% worldwide, the mental health needs of women in the perinatal period have yet to be fully addressed in the context of the COVID-19 crisis.

Furthermore, the financial situation is gradually worsening, and as a result, mental health illnesses are becoming increasingly common.

Inequalities: There is a pandemic that exists, and you've heard about it from the front pages of your newspaper. However, there is another pandemic that goes unmentioned gender equality. This existed long before the pandemic, but it has gotten worse in the last two years. The rising gender inequality in the job market is a fundamental concern about COVID-19's economic implications. Women have not only lost more careers than men during the pandemic, but they are also returning to work in smaller numbers. According to the CMIE (Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy), the number of women actively seeking work each month decreased by three million between 2019 and 2021.

The COVID-19 epidemic exacerbated inequalities that are causing health risks. Domestic abuse, unemployment, and low wages have contributed to women's insecurity. As a result, many women are depressed. Also, as per UN reports, this shock's repercussions are likely to outlive the epidemic itself.

So now the question is, what can we do to improve the situation?

Our Finance Minister launched the National Telemental Health Program. This program will help lakhs of people who need psychological help in these crisis circumstances. NIMHANS (The National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences) will be taking care of this programme.

Preventive health is another area where we should take some severe actions. For example, women should take a health checkup seriously; a master health examination once a year can aid in the early detection of an emerging disease and prompt corrective action can be taken.

However, most of the ideas and activities are focused on our metropolitan population earlier. Despite having a rural population of 65.07 per cent, we have neglected rural women's mental health for years. However, the pandemic has accelerated the use of mobile and wireless technologies in rural India as well. As we embrace digital technologies, we have the power to transform the face of healthcare services and education as educations play a significant role in rural India. Lack of education was also the reason for the lack of awareness.

Paying attention to the health and well-being of the other half is soon becoming imperative. This is because not only does it impact women as individuals but also as a domino effect nationwide.

It impacts our GDP. At 48% of the population, women contribute 18% of GDP. That's why the social significance of their health cannot be underestimated. According to the McKinsey Global Institute report, boosting women's equality can grow the global economy by $12 trillion. Also, the study suggested increasing women's labour force participation by 10% might add $700 billion to India's GDP by 2025.

In summary, ignoring the well-being of almost half the population of a country cannot be healthy at any level. Access and information dissemination along with consistency at the governing level as well as private healthcare will be the driving force behind the success of this story as well – just like the polio drive.