Reproductive health is among the most serious problems that women face in Pakistan.

Health is a state of complete mental, physical, and social well-being and does not mean the mere absence of disease or infirmity.

In common parlance it is a condition in which a man or woman does not suffer from any illness and is feeling well; this leads us to believe that health is something related to the psycho-social and physical satisfaction.

The health of families and nations is interlinked with the health of women. Health or death of women can have serious implications for the health of her children and family. If the women are healthy they will produce healthy children and they may be in a position to take care of the entire family health, so we can say that healthy women are the sign of a healthy family and healthy nation.

Many organizations raise women’s health awareness but do not provide them with a safe environment, medical services, and family planning. Millions of women in the world die every year because of unavailability or lack of access to health facilities and those which are available are of poor quality. The most serious health issue for women is complications during pregnancy which takes the lives of millions every year.

Women are among the worst affected when pregnant with health issues

Pakistan ranks third highest in the world with the number of maternal deaths. There are many factors responsible for such problems. However, more important is the lack of resources even for those who wish to seek treatment.

The dogmatic and extremely narrow approach to women and women’s health is the main reason why women are not able to get the proper medical attention. Women are at times not even allowed by other women to undergo medical treatment or visit a doctor. The tribal and rural concept of home deliveries is another reason why patients remain undiagnosed of medical complications and later on suffer for the remainder of their lives.

Social dogmas further limit the rights and access of women to reproductive health services. Domestic violence remains a chief cause of complications related to pregnancy including unwanted pregnancies, lack of access to family planning services, unsafe abortions or injuries due to abortion, complications due to frequent and high-risk pregnancies, lack of follow-up care, sexually transmitted infections, and other psychological problems.

The overall lack of proper psychological services and rehabilitation centers may lead to women remaining undiagnosed with depression and other conditions, especially after delivery of the baby. Reproductive health is among the most serious problems that women face in Pakistan. They have no right to take any decisions regarding their health, which affects their morbidity and mortality, and as a consequence affects the development of the children.

Many children lose their mothers to frequent pregnancies and complications. To effectively mitigate problems of women’s reproductive health, we must focus on the groups of women most at risk: the rural, poor and elderly. The goal of this program must be to encourage women to use health facilities and skilled birth attendants when giving birth, which would at least allow women with complications a chance to receive proper treatment.

Read more about the status of Pakistani women here and here. Please share this article on Facebook, Twitter and Google+

Saira Ronaq is a writer and graduate student in gender studies at the University of Karachi.