Women’s health in rural areas of Pakistan | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Women’s health in rural areas of Pakistan

Pakistan Press Foundation

Pakistan is a developing country so its women have to face a lot of health problems particularly in rural areas. It is estimated that about 1,600 women per 100,000 die during childbirth.

The main reasons of this alarming percentage are lack of education, health care centres and tribal customs that restricted the women from clinical tests. In most of the rural areas most of the tribal customs forbid women to work and to be visited by male doctors, as a result most of the women do not go to hospital for check-ups.

The main health problem for the rural women is sexually transmitted diseases, and reproductive tract infections. Important point is that, unfortunately, most of the rural women remain unaware to these disorders, main reason is that a rural women have to pay a tough duty. Out of 278 rural women 61.5% work in the fields with her males, even during pregnancy. Not only this, she also have to pay duty in kitchen and other household activities. At the end of the day she has no time to think about her health and about her baby and 9 months complete in this routine.

Moreover, socio-economic conditions of rural areas of Pakistan are highly responsible for the poor health of women. In 2004-2005 government estimated that nearly 24% of rural population was living below poverty line. And in Pakistan there is patriarchal family system particularly it is very strictly obeyed in rural areas. The most common problem in rural areas of Pakistan is that women deliver at home and unfortunately it is hardly to predict which women will develop pregnancy complications, and many complications rapidly become life threatening. Only 44% of the women in Pakistan delivers by skilled birth attendant which is very below than required value.

Another major problem is that literacy rate of rural women is very low. She cannot understand complications of reproductive cycle and face a lot of problems which not only disturb her family but also affect the development of Pakistan. Women’s education not only important for mothers health but very important for her baby.

Available information from 68 countries with data on under-five mortality by mothers’ education indicates that a woman’s education is a key factor in determining whether her children will survive past the first five years of life. A child’s chances of surviving increase even further when his or her mother has a secondary or higher education. Children of mothers with no education in the Latin America and Caribbean region are 3.1 times more likely to die than those with mothers who have secondary or tertiary education and 1.6 times more likely to die than those whose mothers have primary education.

These facts suggest that rural women’s deficits in education have broader and longer-term implications for family well-being and poverty reduction.

SUGESTIONS: 1. Every Pakistani have to get education at least up to graduation particularly girls education must be necessary. 2. Female doctors should be appointed in rural areas. 3. There should be a hospital in every village. 4. Technical schools for men and women should be established so that rural population can improve the living standard thus helping the country in progress.

Source: The News


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