Reproductive health goals to abide by in the coming times

April 6, 2022

By Dr. Anita Suryanarayan M.D. (Path), Vice President- & Quality Assurance (South SBU), Metropolis Healthcare Ltd.

Reproductive health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being which includes the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes. The Health Goals which have been suggested are defined to cover all aspects of the current and future scenarios.

In different countries and different strata of society, particularly in developing countries, individuals face inequality in the services, socio-economic status, education, literacy levels, age, ethnicity, religion, resources and facilities available. These are some of the key factors which need to be tackled. Unfortunately, low-income individuals may lack access to appropriate health services or even the knowledge and the need for maintaining reproductive health, a defining problem that needs to be sorted out.

The common problems or concerns associated with reproductive health care include deformities, overpopulation, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Ill health of the mother and her baby, early marriages before attaining puberty, and an increased mortality rate of both mother and infants.

Thus, the major objectives of reproductive health include the availability of quality maternal and reproductive health services, accessible to the people living in all areas, particularly in rural areas, which would enhance the prevention of diseases that might affect maternal health, broaden the institutional and human resource capacities of local governments, health centers, communities, and men and women involved in reproductive health.

The importance of maintaining Reproductive health in society is that it helps to prevent the spread of various sexually transmitted diseases and impart the ability to produce offspring having better survival rates. It also helps in maintaining the population size and avoiding unwanted pregnancies. A healthy child and a healthy mother will ensure economic development and growth for the nation as a whole.

In order to achieve this focus would be required in improving ante- natal, perinatal, postpartum and new-born care; providing high quality services for family planning, including infertility services, eliminating unsafe abortion; combating sexually transmitted infections including HIV, etc.

A combination of approaches that include sexuality education and women’s contraceptive is required to reduce the need for abortion, provision of safe abortion services, and the availability of treatment for complications to attenuate morbidity and reduce the mortality from unsafe abortions
Challenges faced by adolescents across the world include early pregnancy and parenthood, difficulties accessing contraception and safe abortion, and high rates of HIV and sexually transmitted infections.

Key strategies need to be adopted to improve reproductive health including:

The introduction of sex education, which is aimed to create awareness among the adolescents about safe sexual practices.
As adolescents become eligible to reproduce, it is essential to inform them about the consequences of unsafe sexual practices and early pregnancy. This may be achieved by the implementation of ‘National Adolescent Education Program’ at various schools from classes 9th to 12th.
People in the marriageable group should be educated about infertility, birth control methods, pregnancy, post-childbirth care of the baby and mother, etc. It is also essential to provide proper medical facilities to deal with obstacles like infertility and other reproductive difficulties.
There are a few evil practices related to reproduction that still plague our society. Female infanticide is one such example. In order to prevent this crime, a legal ban has been put on Amniocentesis Test and is being strictly monitored.
There is no doubt that there will be in the future, dividends of investing in reproductive health. These dividends would be reflected in healthier, more productive individuals and families, which would contribute to stronger, wealthier nations.

The authored article is written by Dr. Anita Suryanarayan M.D. (Path), Vice President- & Quality Assurance (South SBU), Metropolis Healthcare Ltd and shared with Prittle Prattle News exclusively.

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