This Women's Day, Urging Accessible Healthcare For Women With Reduced Mobility

On this International Women's Day, I want to shift the spotlight to a critical aspect of women's empowerment - Accessibility. Focusing on the fifth UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), strides are being made towards attaining gender equality and empowering women by 2030. Equity and social inclusion promote an equitable society where women live a dignified life and have equal access to all the services just like men. For decades, we have been talking about safe and accessible health and sanitation facilities for women, where they can access healthcare facilities with dignity and complete independence. Yet, the issue persists.

Basic hygiene remains a major issue in India, with most of the toilets in India designed in a way that forces women to compromise on health, hygiene, and safety. We might think that these are only issues faced by women with physical limitations, which isn’t true. Our environment and society are still not equipped for pregnant mothers, lactating mothers, mothers with infants or little kids. Reduced mobility is not an issue faced by only the 26.8 million individuals living with disabilities in India, but every woman faces this during her life.

We all think that ‘accessible healthcare and sanitation’ is limited to its economics and affordability. Rather in India, where health is a state and not central government matter, this doesn’t portray the complete picture. The central government determines the financial outlay of healthcare infrastructure, but it's up to the respective Indian state to determine its priorities for providing healthcare services. Irrespective of a woman's economic power, they feel excluded as the healthcare infrastructure around them does not accommodate their needs.

This is also because healthcare and sanitation are urban-predisposed. So, women in rural India face additional barriers. The lack of accessible infrastructure having simple features like ramps, wider doorways, accessible toilets, accessible transportation options, etc., has them rely on others, taking away their independence and leading to dire health complications. Also, experience difficulties in receiving essential preventive care such as cervical cancer screenings, prenatal care, and vaccinations. 

Imagine a world where every pregnant woman feels safe using public washrooms, a mom with a little child can easily access public transportation, and a lactating mother has a safe space in her office to pump milk. These small aspects make a huge impact on the lives of women. Without these, it robs them of a normal life and sometimes even pushes them on the edge towards an undignified life, social isolation, depression, and anxiety. Further, hindering in educational and economic independence and creating a cycle of vulnerability. 

How to Build Accessible Healthcare For Women With Reduced Mobility

So, how do we change this? How do we build and create access to healthcare and sanitation for all, especially women, to ensure inclusive development? Accessible healthcare and sanitation are asymmetric between rural and urban India. While urban women have more access than rural women, India is blessed with a vast public health network up to the community level. We need to start by having our central and state governments work together to make our built infrastructure accessible.

We need to raise awareness of such huge gaps in the policies up to the community levels and make public-private entities work together to create accessible healthcare and sanitation for all. Apart from this, sensitizing communities, policymakers, and healthcare providers about the unique needs of women are also primary. This will foster empathy and encourage inclusivity in all spheres of life. 

We must all understand that investing in accessibility is not just about removing infrastructural barriers; it's about unlocking the potential of women and empowering them to live independent, dignified, and fulfilling lives.

Therefore, this Women’s Day, let’s not just celebrate past achievements but acknowledge the path ahead and take concrete steps toward building a truly inclusive society. Let us prioritize the accessibility needs of women and ensure they have equal access to healthcare and sanitation facilities that, in turn, help them thrive in their own fields. 

Authored by Sminu Jindal, Founder and Chairperson of Svayam.