Nagaland to celebrate women with free health services

International Women’s Day

EMN
Dimapur, March 6

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n commemoration of International Women’s Day, a plethora of health services – from child care to cancer screen facilities– would be available for women in the state during this week. A health care agency of the government of Nagaland is organizing a series of health camps for women across 10 districts of Nagaland.
National Health Mission of Nagaland will be conducting an event called the ‘special health camp for women” March 9 till the 11th across ten districts of the state. The event is being organized to commemorate International Women’s Day. International Women’s Day falls on March 8.Along with the rest of the country, the health mission program, a project of the Government of Nagaland, will conduct the three-day long women’s special health camps in ten district hospitals of Kohima, Dimapur, Mokokchung, Wokha, Peren, Zunheboto, Longleng, Phek, Mon, and Kiphire.
The services that would be provided during the health camps will include ante natal care, post natal care, identification of high risk pregnant women, availability of ‘referral transport’, drugs, consumables and Mother Child Protection cards to all beneficiaries, the organizers informed in a note issued to the media on Friday.
Besides, family planning services, promotion of Janani Suraksha Yojana and Janani Suraksha-Shishu Karyakram entitlements and counseling services for women in the reproductive age would be provided.
In addition, screening for cervical cancer will be conducted in the three district hospitals of Kohima, Mokokchung and Dimapur during the health camp. Naga Hospital Authority of Kohima will also provide screening for breast cancer during the event for Kohima district.
The National Health Mission of Nagaland has stated an appeal to every woman to come and avail the services to be provided during the women’s special health camp.
Worrying Indian women’s health: Facts
• Over 100,000 Indian Women Die Each Year From Pregnancy-Related Causes Maternal mortality and morbidity are two health concerns that are related to high levels of fertility: India has a high maternal mortality ratio—approximately 453 deaths per 100,000 births in 1993.3.
This ratio is 57 times the ratio in the United States. The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund estimate that India’s maternal mortality ratio is lower than ratios for Bangladesh and Nepal but higher than those for Pakistan and Sri Lanka (WHO, 1996).
The level of maternal mortality varies greatly by state, with Kerala having the lowest ratio (87) and two states (Madhya Pradesh and Orissa) having ratios over 700 (Figure 3) (UNICEF, 1995). This differential maternal mortality is most likely related to differences in the socioeconomic status of women and access to health care services among the states.
• Majority of Births in India Take Place at Home: Place of birth and type of assistance during birth have an impact on maternal health and mortality. Births that take place in unhygienic conditions or births that are not attended by trained medical personnel are more likely to have negative outcomes for both the mother and the child. The NFHS survey found that nearly three quarters of all births took place at home and two-thirds of all births were not attended by trained medical personnel.
• One in Five Maternal Deaths Related to Easily Treated Problem Anemia, which can be treated relatively simply and inexpensively with iron tablets, is another factor related to maternal health and mortality.
Studies have found that between 50 and 90 percent of all pregnant women in India suffer from anemia. Severe anemia accounts for 20 percent of all maternal deaths in India (The World Bank, 1996). Severe anemia also increases the chance of dying from a hemorrhage during labor.
• The most recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS) was conducted in 1992-93; it found that in the 4 years preceding the survey, 37 percent of all pregnant women in India received no prenatal care during their pregnancies (IIPS, 1995). The proportion receiving no care varied greatly by educational level and place of residence. Nearly half of illiterate women received no care compared to just 13 percent of literate women.
Women in rural areas were much less likely to receive prenatal care than women in urban areas (42 percent and 18 percent, respectively). Most women who did not receive health care during pregnancy said they did not because they thought it was unnecessary (IIPS, 1995).
Thus, there is a definite need to educate women about the importance of health care for ensuring healthy pregnancies and safe free anti-rabies vaccination in Pughoboto childbirths. Another reason for the low levels of prenatal care is lack of adequate health care centers. It is currently estimated that 16 percent of the population in rural areas lives more than 10 kilometers away from any medical facility (Bhalla, 1995).