Women in Nepal face
discrimination and marginalization in the family,
society, and state. As a result, in a country
where the health system is already poor, the level
of women's health and education is particularly
low. To compound the problem, many districts of
Nepal are remote, making access to health services
and information very limited. In fact, only 15%
of the Nepali population has access to health
services.
Reproductive and maternal health is of particular
concern among Nepali women. In rural Nepal, the
key role of a woman is bearing children, particularly
sons. Early and excessive childbearing weakens
women, many of whom die or are chronically disabled
from complications of pregnancy. It is not uncommon
for Nepali women to experience a prolapsed uterus
following birth. The prolapse is often due to
recommencing, too soon, the expected workload,
which is demanding and strenuous. Often, the prolapse
remains untreated for an extended amount of time.
Pregnancy is taken as a natural process and God's
gift for which medical care is regarded as unnecessary.
In fact, the Human Development Report (1996) reported
that only 6% of births are attended by trained
personnel.
Undeniably, there are other women's health issues
that need attention. There is a high incidence
of HIV/AIDS in Nepal, and the discriminatory nature
of the society greatly hinders a woman's ability
to protect herself form such diseases, even from
her husband. The discrimination propagates low
levels of self worth and body awareness. Nutrition,
as well, needs attention as chronic malnutrition
occurs in 63% of the population. In most of rural
Nepal, people have very little knowledge about
the causes and preventive measures of various
health and nutritional problems and in the national
health policy and programs, women's health issues
remain inappropriately addressed. Therefore, it
is imperative to provide primary health care facilities
and to make communities aware of their basic rights
to health. It is also of fundamental importance
that the Nepali woman is well educated on health
issues so that she may be empowered to take control
over her body and so that her family may benefit
and learn from her knowledge. Considering the
conditions that Nepali women face, it is critical
that women are educated about and have full access
to appropriate knowledge and skills for self-help,
such as information about locally available medicinal
herbs and plants and the traditional techniques
of their usage. It is also vital that women have
access to and control over healthcare services
from a women's rights perspective. |
