Women’s health must be a national priority

This year, International Women’s Day comes at a time when we are completing over one year of the battle against Covid-19. It has been an unprecedented year that required us to go beyond the ordinary and beyond our limits to ensure success in the fight against the novel Coronavirus. As women, many of us have had to wear multiple hats as we juggled taking care of our loved ones while working from home.

With schools shut, the mothers amongst us also took on the role of teachers. Those of us who were part of the essential services continued to work on the frontlines. We successfully faced these and other challenges and overcame them. However, in many cases, this led to not paying attention to our own needs. Over time, this can take a toll on health and well-being. Self-care is as important as caring for others and it is essential that women must not neglect their own health!

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) have been the leading causes of death among women globally for at least the past three decades and are now responsible for two in every three deaths among women each year. Seven of the top 10 causes of death in women are NCDs, led by ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, cancer, and kidney diseases. If we do not take action today, the impact of NCDs can unravel the health gains we have made and undermine efforts to ensure gender equity and healthy lives for women.

On the positive side, 25% of premature deaths due to NCDs can be reduced by 2025 by taking preventive action today. It is important that we begin to address the NCD challenge urgently through promotion of healthy lifestyles and early diagnosis and management of NCDs such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers. Tackling the growing burden of NCDs requires a multifold and multisectoral approach, with adoption of new technology in healthcare diagnostics and delivery. It is only then that we can be successful in reducing the long-term morbidity and mortality from NCDs in women.

Challenges exist in access to healthcare for women with 75% of India’s healthcare infrastructure found in urban areas. This results in women residing in rural and remote areas of the country finding it difficult to access advanced healthcare. The scenario is, however, changing with the use of mobile and wireless technologies. As we embrace digital technologies, we have the power to transform the face of health service delivery and democratise access to healthcare.

Preventive health is another area that has the ability to be transformative in women’s health—medical science has evolved rapidly to make preventive approaches more and more precise and effective. For example, screening for cervical cancer is now possible even through our mobile phones transmitting precise images directly to a specialist. And we all know that early screening and detection helps reduce mortality exponentially. It is time that we all take preventive health more seriously, and invest in prevention both as individuals and as health systems.

Also, technology can help address the barriers to NCD prevention and control that include high cost, lack of trained personnel, and problems with infrastructure. Telemedicine that allows healthcare professionals to evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients in a remote location, and telepathology—that allows for remote interpretation of pathology specimens and helps in cancer diagnosis—have been successfully used to save lives through early detection of cancer in patients who reside in remote areas.

Other examples include the needle-free injection devices that have increased the efficiency of mass vaccination programmes and mobile health tools that enable community health workers to connect with peers in cities and enhance healthcare delivery. There is a need for healthcare professionals who have the skills to harness data and interpret it to provide decision-making support to medical practitioners. This will enable scalable technology driven initiatives backed by A.I. and data analytics to help track, prevent, and even reverse NCDs.

We must not forget the value of traditional medicine and healing, that is quintessentially Indian, and the potential that it has to integrate with modern medicine, and offer holistic solutions for several health problems faced by women. There is a significant body of knowledge and wisdom, that is waiting to be fully utilised, and India has the advantage of being at the forefront of that effort.

Women's health and well-being is not just a personal priority. It is a national priority. India, and its economy, need a healthy women's workforce. According to a McKinsey Global Institute’s report, improving women’s equality can add $12 trillion to global growth. There is a real value of preserving the health of Indian women—increasing women’s labour force participation by 10 percentage points could add $700 billion to India’s GDP by 2025. So if we are looking for a silver bullet for our economy, it lies with our women; in their health and happiness.

Views are personal. The author is managing director, Apollo Hospitals Group. She was ranked No.4 in Fortune India's The Most Powerful Women in Business list for the year 2020.