Women’s Health in India
The health of women in India has been influenced and molded by a wide array of socio-economic, cultural, and infrastructural factors. Though India has been successful in increasing accessibility to health and education through strong policies for women, vast challenges and needs exist to be fulfilled for the wellness of women in every nook and corner of the country.
Maternal Health and Mortality
Indeed, the rate of maternal deaths has dramatically fallen in India; nonetheless, the country has many more challenges, especially in rural regions, due to fewer health care facilities. The country holds one-fifth of all reported maternal deaths as reported by the WHO. Most of such deaths are preventable and are related to complications, such as hemorrhage, infection, and unsafe abortions. For example, JSY and PMSMA that the Government has undertaken to supplement the maternal health care system have started improving the outcomes but disparities in delivery services of healthcare across various regions persist.
Reproductive and Sexual Health
Access to contraception is an important core that has evolved from reproductive health concerns, though issues on menstrual hygiene and safe access to abortion services also feature. There are many governmental measures taken under schemes like Mission Parivar Vikas and others aimed at providing family planning services across areas of high fertility. It is not stratified across the country concerning awareness and availability. Many women, mostly from rural and other low-resource settings, have no source of information on contraception, nor are they any less likely to be rebuked by family or society when they raise issues of reproductive health.
Poor education on menstrual hygiene has contributed to adverse health outcomes. Lacking sanitary protection for most girls and women in rural India, the hygiene is below par, with infections most of the time when at school or working.
This, the NGOs and the government have come to realize, and projects such as MHM are found being included in curriculums with an orientation that provides educational facility access to students along with sanitary product access to the family itself.
NCDs and Chronic Illness
As the burden of NCDs like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer increases in India, women are disproportionately seen affected due to delayed diagnosis, poor health awareness, and socio-economic barriers. Breast cancer and cervical cancer are the two most common cancers among Indian women, and while schemes like RSBY aim to provide financial coverage for critical illnesses, challenges around timely detection and treatment remain. Even women’s health takes a knock back because of household responsibilities, hence delaying timely medical services.
Mental Health and Gender-based Violence
Mental health amongst Indian women lacks value accorded by the society, while these are blighted by cultural stigmas and loads of managing every other household chores, childcare, and employment in some quarters. Women suffering from post-partum depression and anxiety or other forms of mental illness are always hesitant to get assistance due to societal taboos. GBV, which is broadly defined to include domestic abuse as well as sexual violence, also influences mental and physical health and contributes to long-term trauma and chronic conditions. It is well established that 30% of Indian women are exposed to some form of physical violence by her spouse, thus calling for much better provisions in the area of mental health service as well as support for survivors.
Nutrition and Anemia
Anemia is the most critical nutritional problem affecting Indian women. According to NFHS-5, anemia afflicts more than half of Indian women and is also on the rise in rural settings. Such widespread cases of anemia can be traced back to malnutrition, early pregnancies, as well as unavailability of proper healthcare facilities. Poor maternal nutrition also goes on to impact the health of the newborns – low birth weight along with other developmental challenges. Government efforts like the National Iron Plus Initiative are on, though more widespread application and awareness need to be done.
Access to Healthcare for Rural People
Socioeconomic Development: The second major challenge is the difference between urban and rural healthcare facilities. It happens to be one of the major drawbacks for women’s health in India. Health care centers, doctors, and other experts are accessible in urban towns, but problems include the lack of medical infrastructure, fewer available trained healthcare personnel, and rather poor facilities for transportation. Thus, women in rural areas rely much on frontline health workers such as the ASHAs to connect with necessary services, but the efforts often might not be readily available to seek treatment for serious health issues.
Policy and Advocacy: The Way Forward
The Indian government has quite a few policies toward enhancing women’s health. However, for the purpose to be affected, advocacy and grassroots involvement are the most important. Public health campaigns must focus on taking forward health literacy wherein women are sensitized regarding their rights and as well as healthcare choices. Educating women, providing them with financial independence, and accessibility of affordable healthcare can all contribute toward the resolution of these issues.
Collaborations between the government, NGOs, and the private sector can further be strengthened to increase health services, specially in lower-income regions. PPPs in delivering health care, mobile health initiatives, and telemedicine can play a significant role in bridging the urban-rural divide and in increasing access to quality care for women.
Conclusion
A multi-layered effort needs to be so geared as to address the health of women in India specifically to her unique socio-economic and infrastructural and cultural challenges. When improved maternal healthcare is supported, as well as reproductive rights are promoted, no-nonsense attention to non-communicable disease and improving rural healthcare structures can bring India closer to the attainment of health equity for all women. Education and healthcare provision with necessary social support will be necessary to ensure that women are benefitting from long-term well-being all over the nation.
