Women and Child Health Programs :: स्वास्थ मेला

Infant and Child mortality takes away the life of 2.2 million children every year.The most recent estimate of complete immunization coverage indicates that only 54% of all children under age three were fully protected.

India has 20 per cent of the world’s adolescent population, that is, people between the age of 10 and 19. With 24.3 crore people in the country in this age group, India is home to the largest number of adolescents in the world. Yet, the health indicators of the country mirror poor maternal and child health conditions, along with practices of early marriage and childbirth during adolescence in the country.

We know what is needed to save lives. Proven, cost-effective interventions, delivered through a careful approach, can prevent millions of needless deaths and disabilities. Here women, their newborns and children should have access to essential health services – from pregnancy, through delivery and the postnatal period and continuing through childhood.

But many are not so fortunate. Every year, nearly 2.68 crore children born every year, and nearly 17.26 lakh children die before reaching their fifth birthday.Almost all these deaths occur when mothers, children and newbornslack access to basic health care services.

India has the highest population of underweight children below the age of five, Twenty per cent of children under the age of five years are suffering from severe or moderate wasting in India, which is the largest in the world. On the same note, 8 per cent of under-five children suffer from severe or moderate stunting.

If we want to solve the interconnected problems of maternal and newborn mortality,we must do a better job of reaching these mothers and babies with skilled care during pregnancy, childbirth, and the minutes, days and weeks following birth. For a variety of reasons, in many parts of the world, pregnant women and young children will not receive lifesaving health care unless there is a female health worker nearby to provide it.

Indian women have high mortality rates, particularly during childhood and in their reproductive years. The health of Indian women is intrinsically linked to their status in society. Research on women’s status has found that the contributions Indian women make to families often are overlooked, and instead they are viewed as economic burdens. There is a strong son preference in India, as sons are expected to care for parents as they age. This son preference, along with high dowry costs for daughters, sometimes results in the mistreatment of daughters. Further, Indian women have low levels of both education and formal labor force participation.They typically have little autonomy, living under the control of first their fathers, then their husbands, and finally their

All of these factors exert a negative impact on the health status of Indian women.Poor health has repercussions not only for women but also their families. Women in poor health are more likely to give birth to lowweight infants. They also are less
likely to be able to provide food and adequate care for their children.Finally, a woman’s health affects the household economic well-being, as a woman in poor health will be less productive in the labor force.