The issue of women’s healthcare has always been a relevant matter, particularly in highly conservative countries. For many, the efficient delivery of healthcare services for women is seen as a way to empower the women sector. Women’s health is a particular concern due to various socio-cultural factors present in many conservative countries. However, in developed countries, current laws and not only socio-cultural factors impede a significant development in women’s health.
Empowered Choice: the Ongoing Struggle for Efficient Women Healthcare
Although considered to be a first-world country, reproductive healthcare for women in several parts of the USA remains limited and inaccessible for women. Several groups are still struggling and demanding the government to increase health support. These groups have also consistently campaigned for the complete decriminalization of fetus termination, a medical operation that is considered as one of the most contended issues related to women’s health.
You can imagine how difficult it is for a woman who is in a highly conservative, developing nation to access primary reproductive healthcare. It might seem that the only way for these women to maintain their health is for them to have an educated or informed choice.
Speaking of having “informed choice,” there are two possible simple solutions. The first one is to empower and train local health professionals to compensate for the lack of government support. The second solution is to educate the public about the importance of self-care interventions.
Accessibility and Affordability of Women’s Healthcare
Training and empowering local health workers, such as midwives, increase the accessibility and affordability of women’s healthcare. Apart from compensating for the understaffing issues that many health institutions encounter, trained local health professionals can also quickly respond to various women-related medical matters in their respective areas. They can also be trained to conduct reproductive examinations and use multiple medical devices. Young mothers who struggle with substance abuse can consult teenage drug treatment centers in Utah to ensure a safe pregnancy.
On the other hand, self-intervention will contribute to the aspect of healthcare affordability. Take this example. If you buy a disposable speculum with LED light, it will cost around 1.41 AUD, while its stainless metal counterpart will cost about 13.00 AUD. You will be saving approximately 10.8 percent, which can be used to buy other necessary medical supplies, such as gauze, syringe, disinfectants, and non-prescription medicines.
Another example of self-intervention is the use of emergency birth control; recent studies indicate that taking emergency treatments is far cheaper and cost-effective than termination, which is expected to incur expensive medical costs.
A Healthy Woman: An Empowered Woman
“A healthy woman is an empowered woman.” This sentence might sound like a cliche or a slogan by feminist groups, but an efficient healthcare delivery for women is a mirror that reflects how a society or a government treats its citizens. Significant developments are expected to follow if accessible and affordable healthcare for women is achieved. In many countries, informed and empowered women are related to an improved economy, a narrower gender gap, and more opportunities.
