New Delhi : Union Women and Child Development Minister, Smriti Irani, underscored the necessity of normalizing discussions on women’s health during a session related to the Women’s Health Programme at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday. Irani identified the lack of mainstreaming women’s healthcare systems or conversations as a significant challenge, emphasizing the need to address issues that have often been overlooked.
Addressing the gathering, Irani acknowledged the historical neglect of women’s health discussions and systems, attributing it to a prevalent presumption that women prefer not to burden their families or hinder economic progress by discussing medical challenges. She highlighted the tendency of women to either self-medicate or avoid medication altogether due to these societal perceptions.
Discussing initiatives taken for women’s development after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014, Irani emphasized the construction of 110 million toilets in India under his leadership. She linked this initiative to the improvement of women’s menstrual health, indicating a shift in cultural and political perspectives regarding sanitation.
Irani shared insights into other impactful initiatives, such as providing clean and subsidized cooking fuel to 100 million poor women, resulting in saving 400,000 lives annually, according to a WHO report. She also mentioned the distribution of 130 million individual portable water connections to alleviate the burden on women who spent significant time collecting firewood or water for domestic use.
Highlighting the success of Ayushman Bharat, Irani stated that it serves 440 million Indians across 27,000 hospitals, with over 62 million hospital admissions under the program. She underscored Prime Minister Modi’s dedication to preventive healthcare, with over 120,000 operational health and wellness centers and a significant female workforce in the healthcare sector.
Irani emphasized the economic opportunities for women in the healthcare workforce and highlighted the crucial role played by women during the pandemic, with six million women actively participating in vaccine delivery and pharmaceutical support.
In the context of data availability, Irani stressed the importance of harnessing data from global companies and health systems to better inform policy decisions. She suggested the creation of an alliance that could reflect on reports from the past decade, identify unmet goals, and provide targeted benefits for gender and health.
In conclusion, Irani proposed having at least ten specific agendas focused on deliverables, addressing medical challenges from a gender perspective, and leveraging data from companies to inform policymaking effectively.
