Health policies must be women-centric for inclusive growth, says experts in Mumbai

The discussion was organised to focus on ways to ensure the planning process of national health policies take place keeping women’s rights at its core

Many studies across the world have revealed that women have been neglecting their health, owing to the juggling they do between family and work.

(From left) Insia Dariwala, Dr Nozer Sheriar, Kumar Ketkar, Dr Shubhangi Parkar and Sidharth Bhatia participate in ‘Breaking Barriers, Building Trust’ panel discussion, at Parel on Friday. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

In an attempt to create more awareness about the determinants that affect women and to ensure gender-inclusive growth, a panel of experts on Friday proposed making these a part of the national narrative.

The discussion, ‘Breaking Barriers, Building Trust,’ was organised by Global Health Strategies with a focus on ways to ensure that the planning process of national health policies take place with gender-specific needs, evidence and women’s rights at its core.

The panel consisted of Dr Shubhangi Parkar, head, department of Psychiatry, KEM hospital; Dr Nozer Sheriar, former secretary general, federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India(FOGSI), Insia Dariwala, co-founder, Sahiyo, Sidharth Bhatia, co-founder, The Wire, Nandita Venkatesan, TB survivor and Kumar Ketkar, Rajya Sabha MP.

They discussed their experiences about the various social determinants and the impact they had on a woman’s right to physical, mental and psychological well-being.

Factors like access to education, information technology, decision-making, financial dependence, which are closely associated with well-being of a woman were given special emphasis in the discussion.

Experts also stressed that national media must play a pivotal role in initiating open discussions to steer conversations about overall health status of women.