Reproductive Health Status Of Women In Uttarakhand
By Sadaf Nizam
16 February, 2016
Countercurrents.org
The state of Uttarakhand is bordering Himachal Pradesh in the north-west and Uttar Pradesh in the South and has international borders with Nepal and China. The state is very rich in natural resources. The soothing weather in the valley supports a variety of rarest flora and fauna. The life of the people here seems to be little slow compared to the metropolitan cities. The State has two divisions (Garhwal and Kumaun), with 13 Districts, which can be grouped into three distinct geographical regions, the High mountain region, the Mid-mountain region and the Terai region. Dehradun, being the capital of the state is supposed to be most developed of all the other regions and is well known for its salubrious climate and natural beauty and some of the renowned institutes like The Indian Military Academy, Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy of Administration and The Forest Research Institute
The major issue in this state on the whole is of the poor and unhygienic healthcare facilities available to the people of less developed districts like- Almora, Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, Bageshwar, Chamoli, Haridwar, Champawat, Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarkashi, Pithoragarh, and Rudraprayag. The most vulnerable is the condition of women’s, especially the pregnant women’s. Though the concern for the women’s health in India has grown over the past three decades more so since the United Nations Cairo Conference (1994). It was during this conference that the rights of women and reproductive health was identified as a human rights all over the world and India being signatory to the conference agreed to bring about changes in the policies and programmes exclusively for the welfare of the women’s reproductive health. The marginalization and health of the populations comprising of the hilly area are a growing public health concern as they represent one of the most ‘at need’ groups. The National Family Health Survey (NHFS-3 2005 – 2006) of Uttarakhand, portrayed the gloomy picture of the health status of women in general. According to the survey the girls get married at a very less age resulting in early and risky pregnancies with no medical facilities available. A pregnant women is supposed to have regular check up in the first trimester and thereafter is recommended to receive full antenatal care comprised of Iron and Folic Acid tablets, in addition with two or more tetanus toxoid injections. Being a mother needs all the basic requirements for the nourishment of the newly developing baby inside the mother’s womb without neglecting the mother’s own health. This journey of nine months is supposed to be the happiest and simultaneously the most difficult and crucial period in a women’s life. The state due to its geographical condition is hampering the women’s real enthusiasm of nurturing the fetus in its fullest form. The public health report of Human Rights Law Network based in Almora states that most of the pregnant women’s die before reaching hospitals owing to dismal transport and road conditions in these mountainous regions. There could be many reasons giving birth to these obsolete circumstances. Illiteracy and blind faiths, might be one of the reasons as following the old traditions women’s don’t prefer being delivered at the hospitals rather feel comfortable giving birth at home with the help of midwives (dais). Poor women’s unaware of the unhygienic conditions of the surrounding, being delivering the baby by the untrained hands and non-sterile instruments, sometimes becomes the victim of this old and traditional practice leading to the various serious life threatening reproductive health issues like Abnormal Vaginal discharge, Reproductive Tract Infections, Sexually Transmitted Infections, Hemorrhage etc.
Though, it is true to the fact that the women’s of today are standing at par with men’s in every field fighting for their rights, and now that their ‘say’ in the form of ‘rights’ are being recognized also at international level, but the condition of women’s in the lower strata of the society is still below the grade line. On one hand, where WHO is issuing guidelines on ‘reproductive health and taboos (female genital mutilation) being practiced in the name of traditions and rituals, there on the other hand women’s are not even able to deliver their child in the hygienic environment. The condition of health sector is so pathetic that there are only one or two district and sub-district hospitals in which most of the time doctor’s are on leave. Due to the extreme climatic conditions and connectivity issues none of the qualified doctor’s wishes to be posted in this region, especially the Gynecologists. The most disheartening fact is that only one gynecologist is appointed for the district and sub-district hospitals, who cater the OPD section as well as the Caesarian section at times of emergency and sometimes they are also on leave.
Pregnant women in the less developed districts of Uttarakhand are facing acute shortness of good and hygienic reproductive health services provided by the government of the state, owing to the dismal of connectivity and sometimes ignorance to the health of gestating mother’s. Gestating mother’s are the one to be best taken care off, as a new life is germinating inside their womb, who needs physical, mental, emotional and medical care and support to develop in its fullest form. Her antenatal, safe delivery and post natal care should be given importance, since the egg fuses with the sperm and implants on the uterus walls of the ‘being to be mother’.
The recent survey conducted by The National Family Health Survey (NHFS-4 2015 – 2016), provides a better picture and a positive step towards the improvements in the reproductive health sector. But, there is still lot to be done in this sector for the better and healthy gestational period of the pregnant mother’s.
Sadaf Nizam is a Research Scholar at Department of Political Science, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi-110025 and she can be contacted at Email id- [email protected]