The role of women in a new health order

In recent years, thanks to the efforts of several voluntary agencies, there has been a growing national awareness of the deficiencies in our health and education systems, as also of the enormity of the deprivation discrimination to which our women are subjected to. If this awareness is channelized in constructive directions that could promote reappraisal of our present strategies and a reordering of the existing systems, the country will stand greatly benefited. The time has come for an honest, in-depth examination of the factors that underlie (1) the Poor out-reach of basic primary health-care to our rural masses despite impressive investments in our Public Health System; (2) the persistent high rates of female illiteracy in most parts of the country despite a vast programme of Primary Education, and (3) the shockingly poor status of large sections of Women of our society, both within the family and in the community at large. Fortunately, we already have some indication that the need for such reappraisal is now being widely recognised The National Perspective Plan for Women Report is welcome indication that, at the highest levels of our Government, it is now being openly recognised (and publicly owned) that our efforts a upliftment of the status of women during the last forty years after independence, have been inadequate and that new initiatives are now needed-this, despite the fact that we may not agree with all the 'solutions' suggested in that report.