For ages, women are considered the key to maintaining healthy families. They access healthcare solutions for their male counterparts and children. That’s mainly because women are the ones who give birth to children, go through significant health events and become primary caregivers at home. Amidst giving care to the family, women often compromise on their health which results in medical conditions becoming problematic and expensive.
Across the lifespan, women’s health needs are often overlooked. However, there is a significant increase in women experiencing unique health challenges that brings awareness about conditions more likely to be diagnosed in women than men. Today’s generation is undergoing a massive lifestyle change, which in turn gives rise to certain health conditions. Women bear exclusive health concerns like breast cancer, vulvar cancer, cervical cancer, menopause, PCOD, pregnancy, hormonal changes etc., and are even more prone to heart attacks and anxiety issues. To address the disparities in women’s health, society is taking a variety of actions to improve access to healthcare services for women.
Concerned about the women’s health, Dr. Sheetal Sachdeva, MBBS, DGO, DNB Obstetrics & Gynecology, Apollo Cradle & Children’s Hospital, Obstetrics & Gynecology said, “Women experience unique healthcare challenges and are more likely to be diagnosed with complex diseases than men. The way a woman’s body reacts to certain diseases is also different. Therefore, women need to be aware and careful about their health.”
“Keeping the lifestyle in check is essential to address issues related to a woman’s reproductive health, vaginal health, and overall health. A life-course approach toward a woman is needed to better the health of women. Starting from menarche (onset of periods) till aging a proper lifestyle should be maintained to avoid major health concerns in women,” she added.
Further, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a huge toll on women’s overall health. During the pandemic-induced lockdown, women faced several issues related to nutrition, stress and reproductive health. Women struggled to get adequate and timely care for birth control and emergency health services which also led to an increase in the number of abortions.
According to Nupur Khandelwal, Co-founder, Navia Life Care, “Timely treatment and medication are imperative for everyone. The recent surge in health issues related to women across the globe is highly concerning and that definitely calls out for action.”
“Michele Obama once rightly said ‘Communities and countries and ultimately the world are only as strong as the health of their women’. To play our part in ensuring women’s health and wellbeing, we here at Navia have designed AI-enabled products focusing on Gynecologist doctors. We have integrated technology and healthcare in a manner to provide innovative tech solutions to facilitate smooth monitoring, early diagnosis and to ensure a better quality of treatment for women,” she added.
There are huge unmet needs of women related to their health. The imperative is to build awareness about the unique challenges that women face in getting preventive care. Addressing the female psychology in taking care of their health, Dr Renu Raina Sehgal, Chief and Coordinator Operations – Obstetrics & Gynecology, Daffodils by Artemis, Gurugram said, “Women in particular need to keep an eye on their physical and mental health, which in general they tend to ignore, because of the time constraints and a lot of other factors. It is very important to get the medical checkups done on time and at regular intervals. Only healthy women can nurture healthy homes. So let’s all pledge to keep the better half of the world healthy.”
Bottomline
Exploring the opportunities in healthtech and insurtech space can help address women’s healthcare challenges. This can improve access to health services while promoting wellness, preventive care and reducing chronic health conditions. Since women represent the cornerstone of the family’s health, encouraging women to make healthy lifestyle choices with better time management can help improve the overall health of women.
