Women’s health is one of the most important parameters that reflect the standards of any society’s health care system. Health is the complete physical, mental and social wellbeing of a human and not merely the absence of a disease or infirmity. A woman who looks healthy, especially without a disease, may not be a healthy necessarily. She have to be also healthy from mental, social aspects, spiritual aspects.

There are many aspects, which are either directly or indirectly related to improving and providing health care to the women in our country. First,   proper education and health awareness is one of the very important factor. By educating and guiding them for handling different health related issues will do the trick. This can be achieved by educating related to health since the childhood from the school level.

Second very important aspect is having proper nutrition and social infrastructure. Due to non-availability of the same on time, it may lead chronic ill health especially to our girl kids and women who living in below standard conditions. This can be improved by providing proper diet and easy access to to the nearest health centers or hospitals.

Third another important aspect is economic independence. As a mother, wife, sister woman plays the key roles to maintain the family well being in terms of nutrition for the family, they should be given free hand in deciding the budget and expenses of the family. For better health provisions, nutrition, sanitation, water supply, education and social securities are being the main pillars for achieving the same.

All would have been incomplete if preventive side is not mentioned. Diseases were there, are there and will be there forever, only the form and the look and the feel will be changed. Now Indian Healthcare System has gone long way as compared to earlier, and any type of diseases can be prevented by taking proper guidelines issued by government time and again. A significant decline has been seen in infective diseases due to antibiotics and implementation of proper sanitation and hygiene from the recent health ministry initiatives taken since last few years.

Now non infectious  diseases especially Cancer is a big threat and also can be handled by appropriate measures. Having said that cancers which affects the women   most are breast, uterine, ovarian cancer and many more…Breast cancer is a disease in which cells in the breast grow out of control. It is the most common cancer in females. In recent years the breast cancer is increasing with an alarming rate. Ovarian cancer is one of the deadliest cancers in women, in part because it is often found at late stage. There is a great deal of interest in finding a test or combination of tests that could detect ovarian cancer at an early, treatable stage. Uterine and cervical  cancer usually happens in women after menopause.

Prevention of cancer and screening tests

Regular health check up with some of cancer screening tests is very much important.

• Mammogram- A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast.
• Pap test- Cytology from cervix
• CA 125 blood levels
• Ultra sound of abdomen

There  are many risk factors for women’s cancer like

• Early menstrual periods
• Late menopause
• irregular periods, post menopausal bleeding
• obesity
• diabetes or high blood pressure
• no children
• history of infertility,
• family history of cancer
• Women who take estrogen-only hormone replacement

Let us prevent cancer by

• Proper diet and nutrition
• Regular physical activity
• Avoid addictions and risk factors
• Adopt healthy life style
• Regular health checkup
• Vaccinations
• Avoid exposure to carcinogens Women’s health is one of the most important factors which reflects India’s position and development among other nations directly and indirectly. Let us pledge on this Women’s day a CANCER FREE WORLD FOR ALL WOMEN…Wishing you all Healthy Women’s Day

Dr Sachin Marda

MS,DNB (Surgery), Mumbai, Gold Medallist

MCh, DNB (Surgical Oncology)

Fellow NCCS, (Singapore,) MRCSEd (UK)

Senior Consultant Oncologist & Robotic surgeon

(Cancer Specialist)

Yashoda Hospitals, Somajiguda,Hyderabad.

Cell :7702013311, 7702030101

E mail: sachinmarda@gmail.com