Population As People

As India marches into the 21st century, the health and wellness of our women is of paramount importance. In this regard, both science and sociology have established that improvements in public health and education have positively affected the nutrition and health of her children and family. Over the last 70 years, we have made visible strides in improving the health indicators for India, however, the time has come for us to join hands and resolve to improve the lives of women through tangible empowerment tools.

One such established tool to empower women and improve their health is to work towards stabilising population. If we take a broad view of the population growth in India over the last three decades, it could be understood by breaking it down into three Ts – T1, T2 and T3:

T1 refers to Too Close: inadequate space between child births puts the health of a woman and her children at grave risks. For every woman who dies of pregnancy related causes, 20 women experience severe illness and morbidity

T2 refers to Too Many (children): unwanted child births take a toll on the health, productivity and life span of women. It is significant to note that the third round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS III) every woman in India desires around 1.9 children (Desired Fertility Rate). She however, continues to bear 2.3 children (Total Fertility Rate)

T3 refers to Too Early: age at marriage and first pregnancy directly affects population size and women’s health. Twenty-seven per cent (NFHS IV) girls in India continue to be married before they reach 18 years, thus affecting their education and pursuit of optimal livelihood.

The vibrant diversity of our country makes it a unique democracy. We remain committed to view and treat our people as unique citizens with vast untapped potential, not as “numbers” or “subjects” to be controlled.

If we are to remain loyal to the commitments of the fathers of the nation to improve the quality and access to health for all, we need to integrate the government’s effort with support from the private sector and civil society organisations. Women, irrespective of their geographical location and socio-economic situation need to have access to quality health services, and equitable opportunity for education and employment. 70 years is a long time for her to have waited, but she is still hopeful. She is waiting for us to work her out of darkness.