INDIAN WOMEN AND HEALTH RELATED ISSUES

8/7/2019 INDIAN WOMEN AND HEALTH RELATED ISSUES

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INDIAN WOMEN AND HEALTH

RELATED ISSUES: HEALTH

INSURANCE AS AN

INNOVATIVE TOOL


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The modern Indian women have come farawayby shedding their inhibitions, as compared tothe past. In the past revolutionary decades,women have proved themselves and have

fought and struggled to achieve equal status inthe society. But, the society still owes them alot. The sex ratio in India shows that still Indianwomen are prejudiced by the society.According to the Census 2001, there are 933females per 1000 males in India, which is much

below the world average of 990 females. Thestate in India having lowest female ratio isHaryana (861:1000) and the highest is Kerala(1058:1000)


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The health of Indian women is in a vulnerablestage in India. It is a major backdrop in theIndian society. The prevalence of better healthcare facilities is still in nascent stage in India.

The health related issues can be broadlystudied or overviewed from two differentangles: 1. Health of a urban Indian woman 2.Health of a rural Indian woman. The workculture, life style and standard of living of a

urban Indian woman is different as comparedto the rural Indian woman. Thus, the problemsfaced by them are more or less different.


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The major health related problems

suffered by the Indian women are

as follows:1. Malnutrition, poor health and

anaemia

2. Maternal and reproductive health

3. Mental health

4. Other health related issues.


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Majority women in India suffer frommalnutrition and poor health. Generally,in rural areas, such problems are more

rampant. The main causes ofmalnutrition and poor health can beenumerated as follows:

Poverty

Social stigma or stereotype cultureLack of awareness as regards to health

Mental illness


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Maternal and Reproductive Health

Health of a mother is very important for thenourishment and care of the child. In India inmany customs and traditions girls are marriedat an early age and thus leading topregnancies at a young age. India has thehighest number of child marriages in theworld. Such girls lack knowledge andawareness as regard to proper health care

facilities and nutritional intake. Thus, resultinginto gynecological complications or death ofthe child or mother or both.


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The reproductive role of a woman, asdescribed by World Health Organization (WHO)not only includes child bearing and rearingactivities but also includes care and

maintenance of the child. The InternationalConference on Population and Development(ICPD, Cairo, 1994) and the Fourth WorldConference on Women (FWCW, Beijing, 1995)both clearly emphasized the need to promote

gender equity and equality in reproductivehealth policies and programs, and to promoteand protect human rights


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In India more than a million women suffer fromReproductive Tract Infections (RTI) accounting for 25%of the RTI between the ages of 15 and 44 (*NACO 2005;Action Aid India, 1997). (*National Aids ControlOrganization)

Every year approximately 68000 women in India die dueto pregnancy related issues.

Many Indian women are hesitant to visit male doctors forsexual or reproductive health related problems.

Thus, the problem remains persistent resulting intoseverity or death of the women.

In many stereotype customs and traditions, healthrelated issues are addressed by some spiritual gurusand black magic doers and they are preferred over theprofessional doctors.


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Mental Health

Puberty, Menarche (first menstrual periodduring puberty), menstrual cycle, pregnancy,pueperium (state of a woman during childbirth

or immediately thereafter), mothering andmenopause are specific health related eventsin a womans life. These phases if not takencare of properly, can lead to mental stress,depression or anxiety. The socio-economic

culture may fail to develop a rapport with thesephases and thus giving rise to mental healthproblems in a womans life.


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It has been proven that more women

suffer from Dementia in India than men.

According to the India dementia Report,

2010, 36 lakhs Indians who suffer fromdementia, 21 lakhs are women and rest

are men. One of the reasons can be

better life expectancy in women as

compared to men. Life expectancy atbirth of an Indian woman is 68.1 years

as compared to 65.8 in Indian man.


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Other health-related issues

Apart from the mental, maternaland reproductive health problemsthere are many other health relatedissues which needs attention.

Breast cancer and cervical cancer

are two most common cancer-related health problems in Indianwomen.


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A woman in India is believed to be a silentsufferer. Such diseases are not detectedeasily, because women dont come forward totake proper care and precaution of such health

related issues due to social stigmas, hesitationor shyness. Breast cancer and cervical cancercan be treated, if detected early and on propertime. Many Indian women die due to latedetection of such cancers.

In India approximately, 74,118 women die dueto cervical cancer every year.


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By 2020, breast cancer will overtakecervical cancer which is now the mostreported cancer among women in India.

Minister of Tamilnadu State for Health,S. Gandhiselven said that By 2020 it isexpected that breast cancer willovertake cervical cancer at the currentrate of increase in cancer cases. But atthe moment cervical cancer tops the listof cancers detected among Indianwomen as its symptoms are not easilydetected.


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According to the National Cancer

Registry Programme Report on time

trends in cancer incidences rates (1982-

2005) of Indian Council of MedicalResearch (ICMR) the estimated breast

cancer cases in India in 2010 is 90,659

and of cervical cancer is 1,03,821. New

and innovative lives savingtechnologies have developed to detect

cancer-related health problems


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Breast cancer can be detected

through memography and biopsy.

Cervical cancer can be detected

through HPV (Human

Papillomavirus) testing.

There is a need to integrate these

new technologies with our existinghealth care delivery systems.


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Barriers faced by Indian women in availabilityof quality health care services:

The accessibility to hospitals is a major issuein many sectors and sections of the society.

Primary Healthcare Centers (PHC) areestablished, but physical mobility andeconomic accessibility is lacking greatly.

There is a shortage of health care personnels,who are professionally qualified to deal withwomans health related problems. Ironically,

India has more number of doctors andsurgeons than United States, but, availabilityand accessibility of these doctors andsurgeons is a major issue.


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The government is planning to increaseawareness, preventive measures, earlydetection and treatment for cancercases, besides strengthening the health

care delivery systems. During the last50 years India has developed a largegovernment health infrastructure withmore than 150 medical colleges, 450district hospitals, 3000 Community

Health Centers, 20,000 Primary HealthCare centers and 130,000 Sub-HealthCenters.


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The Janani Suraksha yajana (JSY) programmehas been successful in raising the number ofbirths that are attended by trained healthcareprofessionals for poor women in rural areas.

The employment of Accredited Social HealthActivists (ASHA) under national Rural HealthMission is also on of the pioneering event indevelopment or womans health. The ASHAsduties include escorting and helping pregnant

women in the health care centers


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HEALTH INSURANCE AS AN

INNOVATIVE TOOL

Health expenditure is a major outgo

from an individuals income and themonthly income may be insufficient to

bear hospitalization expenses. Health

insurance is an ideal mechanism for

protecting individuals earnings bytransferring the risk.


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The major features of health insurancecan be enumerated as follows:

Reimbursement of hospitalization

expenses.Accessibility and availability of betterhealth care services.

Regular health check-ups

Creates awareness amongst theindividual as regards to the health-carefacilities.


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Generally Indian women are dominated by theirhusband or in-laws for the householdexpenditure and use of health-care services.Availment of health insurance as a mechanism

to protect the earnings is also a joint decisionmade by the family members. It has beenobserved that a girl always consults her fatherbefore investing money and a married womanconsults her husband before investing in

health insurance policies. The attainment ofhealth insurance product greatly depends ondegree of economic dependence of the womenon her family members.


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If we observe such situations with a broaderperspective, the economic budget of thehousehold is maintained by the woman in thefamily. Thus, she has to channelise, segregate

and divert the income to proper sources.It is a right of every woman to have access tosocial security systems. It is a basic right of awoman, to protect herself from any unforeseencalamities. In this way it is also possible to

secure future of a woman in an environmentwhere family break-ups, lack of financialsupport or divorce cases are more.


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The data given below indiacates the trends and patterns in the number of male and female insured and the

claims submitted by them: Insured members, sum insured and number of claims during 2007-08 by ageand gender.

Age in years Male Female

No. of

membe

rs

Sum insured No. of claims No. of

membe

rs

Sum insured No. of claims

Less than

one

year

97278 926 8818 90055 666 8969

1-5 759990 4757 46074 638665 4044 30907

6-15 1384808 7718 46059 1135013 6475 28828

16-25 2112014 15678 67815 1633498 11081 77875

26-40 4026058 37752 152563 3085837 24396 185385

41-60 2983681 28364 202128 2684142 23785 194876

61-65 411416 4086 48963 268342 2508 34664

66-70 234412 2352 38461 143172 1359 23754

70 & above 265630 1886 37598 120939 1089 21689

Total 12275287 103519 648479 9799663 75403 606947

(Courtesy: Tariff AdvisoryCommittee)The figures of sum insured indicate rupees incrores.


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The Employees State Insurance Act, 1948 wasthe first to include woman in the healthinsurance segment. Under ESI Act, 1948, itprovides protection to the employees against

loss of wages due to inability to work due tosickness, maternity and death due toemployment injury.

It covered the women employees who wereworking under organized sector.

ESI Act, 1948 was the first step towards thedevelopment and awareness of healthinsurance among the Indian women.


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About 95% of work-force in India isworking in unorganized sector ofeconomy and large section of thispopulation live Below Poverty Line

(BPL). Thus there is a strong need todevelop a social security system for thissegment of population.

Poor women are the most vulnerablesections of the society. They have toshare the burden of family expenditureas well as they have to perform the dailydomestic work.


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There are initiatives taken by NGOs and CentralGovernment to curb with the problem of the poorwomen residing in rural areas.

SEWA (Self Employed Womens Association) haveinitiated to protect poor women from financial burdens

arising out of high medical costs and other risks. Theirsickness, maternity needs, widowhood etc., is coveredunder the scheme. The scheme is linked with a savingscheme.

The overall experience of SEWAs health insurance hasbeen encouraging and it has received full support fromthe women.

It has helped to spread the awareness of health careamenities among the poor women.


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Apart from SEWA, other NGOs likeAKHSI (Aga Khan Health Services inNorth Gujarat, Nav-sarjan in Gujarat and

Sewagram medical college inMAharashtra have also providedmedical assurance (insurance +assistance) to women in different areas.

Thus, it can be concluded that healthinsurance is a emerging innovative toolto develop the awareness of qualityhealth care services in India.


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INDIAN WOMEN AND HEALTH RELATED ISSUES

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