Healthcare for Women in India

​For many women who live in India, having access to quality healthcare is a luxury. Due to gender-based discrimination, socioeconomic status, location, and limited education, these women face unnecessary and preventable struggles.
A lack of conversation and education on women’s healthcare has created the belief that a woman’s well-being is insignificant and not prioritized. Although some advancements have been made, only about 18% of females use sanitary napkins (Smile Foundation) either because they are not accessible or the absence of knowing its use. There have been very minimal efforts put forward by the government to increase this percentage. For centuries past, there has been a general bias towards the welfare of men rather than women. A study conducted by institutions in India along with Harvard University found that out of the 2,377,028 outpatients who visited the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) medical facility in 2016, only 37% of women got access to health care, whereas 67% of men (DW). The reason for this drastic difference in numbers is a result of various factors, one being gender-based discrimination. This limited care towards a woman’s health often means that if the family lives far from where the woman needs to go to get care, they will not pay for her transportation.

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Author

Navya Pandya
Outbreak!2020

When money is tight, the well-being of the woman is put to the side. Ranjana Kumari, a women's rights activist and the director of the Center for Social Research in New Delhi stated, “The mental conditioning of Indian society has led to women having a very high threshold of patience and silence.” (DW). Their health is not seen as a priority in many people’s eyes and women have simply accepted it.
Growing up in an Indian household, I have personally seen the taboo around women’s health and hygiene; periods being an unspoken topic and seen as almost shameful. To break the stigma of women’s healthcare and end gender bias care, it is crucial that everybody is taught about the importance of taking care of their health, despite their identity or background. Healthcare is a basic human right and we must work to aid rural communities, such as the ones in India, to ensure that they get the care they need. Small workshops are often held in villages to teach women about their health, which is something that should be incorporated in the entire country and even the world. They should know that taking care of themselves is essential and not something to be dismissed or ashamed of.
 
 Works Cited
(www.dw.com), Deutsche Welle. “Access to Health Care a Distant Dream for Most Indian Women: DW: 21.08.2019.” DW.COM, 21 Aug. 2019, www.dw.com/en/access-to-health-care-a-distant-dream-for-most-indian-women/a-50108512.
Rathaur, : Shivanshi, et al. “Healthcare for Women in India - Smilefoundationindia Health Cannot Wait.” Smilefoundationindia, 9 Jan. 2020, www.smilefoundationindia.org/blog/women-healthcare-in-india/.
Sood, Pragya. “‘Only 18% Women in India Have Access to Sanitary Hygiene in India’ - Times of India.” The Times of India, The Times of India, 11 July 2018, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/only-18-women-in-india-have-access-to-sanitary-hygiene-in-india/articleshow/64931350.cms