GENDER ISSUE IN HEALTH CARE OF
CHILDREN
Chatterjee, M1,
Samanta, R. K2, Saha, A. K2, Majumdar B3
1 North Bengal
Medical College, Siliguri, India
2 North Bengal
University, Siliguri, India
3 Water
Investigation & Development Department, Jalpaiguri, India
Objective: To study the gender discrimination in health care of
children and the impact of socio-economic status on the same issue.
Methods: The male and female children receiving medical
services in a free rural Hospital & a paying Hospital in North-East
region of India in the year 2000 AD were compared along with their birth
rate ratio. The incidences of common diseases, Diarrhoea (GE) and Acute
Respiratory Tract Infection (ARI) amongst both sexes were also analyzed.
Results:
|
Component
|
HSE
|
LSE
|
M
|
F
|
F/1K-M
|
M
|
F
|
F/1K-M
|
|
Birth Rate
|
387
|
329
|
850
|
1969
|
1836
|
932
|
|
Indoor
Admission
|
9727
|
7095
|
729
|
15129
|
12436
|
822
|
|
Indoor
Admission
|
185
|
107
|
578
|
1972
|
1124
|
570
|
Incidence of Diseases
|
|
M%
|
F%
|
|
ARI
|
76
|
78
|
|
GE
|
36
|
34.5
|
Conclusions: The results show the pronounced gender neglect and
gender marginalisation in view of health care. The girl’s environmental
disadvantages far outweighs their genetic advantage. The comparison between
the higher and lower socio-economic group shows, the bias in gender neglect
in entrenched deeply in the cultural heritage of Indian society, an
obsession, that cuts across all differences of class, caste and education.