‘Lack of health education makes women vulnerable for next generation’

Tasnuba Akhter Rifa :

Although Bangladesh’s Constitution guarantees healthcare as a basic right for all citizens, women across the country continue to be deprived of proper health services.

Experts warn that women’s lack of health awareness and education has led to an alarming rise in malnutrition and disease, resulting in an increasingly unhealthy generation.

According to health specialists, women’s health cannot be defined merely in terms of reproductive health.

It encompasses physical, mental, and social wellbeing across all stages of life. However, women’s access to healthcare and awareness about their own health remain severely limited, particularly in rural areas.

Health experts point to the combined influence of social norms, economic inequality, and gender discrimination as major barriers. Women often place family needs above their own, neglecting personal health.

Traditional practices dictate that housewives eat last and consume
only leftover food, a habit that has been passed down for generations. As a result, malnutrition among women and children remains widespread.

When contacted, Professor Be-Nazir Ahmed, former director at Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) told The New Nation on Thursday, “Keeping women’s health beyond proper care must resulted an unhealthy nation; the authorities have to realise it sincerely.”

The Professor said, “It is common scenario in the country that female member’s health issue widely kept ignored.”

He suggested female doctors must have to ensure in union community hospitals and upazila health facilities for giving adequate medical services for women.

Besides, health education and awareness also should be ensured among the women both in urban and rural areas.

A World Bank study reveals that 70 per cent of Bangladeshi women suffer from malnutrition. While men consume an average of 2,299 calories daily, women consume only 1,849 calories.

Consequently, one-third of children in the country are born underweight, and five out of every thousand infants die at birth.

The disparity extends to medical facilities as well. Hospitals across the country provide more beds and resources for men than women, further limiting women’s access to care.

Even when women require medical attention, they are often taken to hospitals only in critical conditions.

Over the past two decades, health risks among women have increased sharply. Studies show that deaths from heart disease have risen 47 times among women, which is compared to 32 times among men.

Similarly, 14 per cent of women suffer from kidney disease, compared to 12 per cent of men.

Climate change has also taken a toll, with rising salinity levels in coastal areas damaging women’s reproductive health and leading to conditions such as uterine cancer and infertility.

Despite the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognising equal dignity and healthcare rights for all, women in developing countries like Bangladesh continue to face health inequality.

Social norms often position women as secondary members within families, depriving them of equal rights to healthcare and nutrition.

Dr Kishowar Parvin, Assistant Professor at the Gynecology Department of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, emphasised the vital link between education and women’s health awareness.

“To be health-conscious, women must be educated,” she said.
Experts said that an educated woman knows how to maintain her personal hygiene, manage her reproductive health, and protect her family’s wellbeing. Education empowers women to make informed health choices.

They noted that many rural girls still rely on unhygienic materials during menstruation, leading to reproductive infections that can cause lifelong suffering such as chronic pelvic pain or infertility.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) remains a major concern, affecting women’s ability to conceive later in life.

Public health experts also warned about the growing popularity of junk food among urban girls, linking it to the rising incidence of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).