May 09, 2021, 14:40 PM IST
New Delhi: This year, on May 9, as India observes International Mothers’ Day in the midst of a fresh wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical to draw attention to the issue of child marriage and teenage pregnancy. With lockdowns due to COVID-19 disrupting women’s access to reproductive health services, it is more critical than ever to protect girls from early pregnancy, which can pose severe physical and mental health risks to adolescents.
While popular culture glorifies motherhood, it fails to consider the struggles of adolescent mothers who have yet to reach physical or mental maturity. The UNFPA’s State of World Population Report, 2021, says that nearly half the women in 57 developing countries do not have the right to bodily autonomy, including making contraceptive choices, seeking health care, or even regarding their sexuality. India is already home to one-third of the world s child brides. With the pandemic causing school closures this
Meet 17-year old Ravina Bairwa, a young change maker from Tonk who is bridging information and hygiene gaps
Ravina, on one hand, disseminates information on safe and healthy menstruation and on the other draws the attention of relevant stakeholders on the paucity of hygiene products for young girls.
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May 08, 2021, 11:10 AM IST
New Delhi: As the second wave of COVID-19 lashes against an already overstretched healthcare system and widens preexisting, social and economic gaps between urban and rural India, Ravina Bairwa, a young, menstrual hygiene champion from Tonk, Rajasthan, is trying to make a difference with her well-informed voice.
Ravina is just 17 years old but already a change-maker who on one hand disseminates information on safe and healthy menstruation and on the other draws attention of relevant stakeholders on paucity of hygiene products for young girls. The task of reaching out becomes difficult as the resources at the rural health care centres have been
Covid-19 Hits Maternal Care, Underlines Gender Divide outlookindia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from outlookindia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
On the occasion of National Safe Motherhood Day on Sunday, experts said maternal health and family planning services should not be compromised and given due priority even in emergency situations like the COVID-19 pandemic. National Safe Motherhood Day is observed every year on April 11 on the birth anniversary of Kasturba Gandhi, wife of Mahatma Gandhi. The experts also called for strengthening the country s health system. We have witnessed a steep rise in maternal deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. The nationwide lockdown disrupted maternal health services, which resulted in a decline in institutional deliveries as well as women s access to prenatal and antenatal services, said Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director of Population Foundation of India and a public health expert.
Highlights
Twenty-six million couples in India were impacted by limited access to contraceptives during the pandemic
PHCs in many parts of our country still require substantial resources and upgradation to meet Indian Public Health Standards
New Delhi: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed one of the biggest health and humanitarian crises the world has ever witnessed. It has exacerbated existing challenges for the economy and to public health, particularly for vulnerable sections of society.
Most importantly, the pandemic underscored the importance of strengthening health systems and of providing a unique opportunity to reimagine India’s healthcare; making it more equitable and inclusive. Improving public health infrastructure is critical to ensuring quality health care for all.