Anaemia, poor eyesight high among women in Maheshwaram villages: Survey
Hyderabad: A significant percentage of women in five villages in Rangareddy district have reproductive health issues, anaemia, and poor eyesight, while pregnant women lack nutrition and antenatal care, according to a survey.
The survey, which was conducted in the Maheshwaram mandal villages of KC Thanda, Kalwakole, Harshaguda, Ameerpet, and Kandakur, revealed that anaemia affects 25% of adult women and that 52.7 percent of women have refractive errors in their eyes, which include myopia, hyperopia or hypermetropia, astigmatism, and presbyopia. These errors necessitate the use of corrective glasses, and their high prevalence indicates that those affected are coping with less-than-perfect eyesight without realising it.
Menstrual irregularities and hysterectomy were found in 11% of the women, oral health issues in 25% of the women, and diabetes and hypertension in 11.2 percent of the women. It was also discovered that the majority of pregnant women do not receive adequate nutrition or antenatal care.
The survey was conducted as part of the Helping Hand Foundation’s (HHF) and Wipro Care’s, (CSR wing) comprehensive primary health care plan. All the villages chosen for the survey are in Maheshwaram because Wipro Care has a factory there.
The programme entails running two mobile clinics per week in each village to provide primary health care services at the doorstep, with a focus on women and children. The services include a monthly Obstetrics & Gynecology super-specialty clinic which will also be part of the services. Another intervention planned is to educate and raise awareness about menstrual health and nutrition among women in these areas.
According to Mujtaba Hasan Askari of HHF, the number of women, particularly young women, who had hysterectomies was higher than expected, and the reason for this was unknown. "Normally, we think noncommunicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension, or thyroid problems are only prevalent in urban areas, but the findings show they are prevalent in rural areas as well," he said.
