New Delhi, Dec 10: The Union health ministry, in partnership with the World Health Organization, on Wednesday rolled out a month-long Delhi Metro campaign on women’s and girls’ health and well-being from the the Sultanpur Metro station.
The campaign, which will run from December 10 to January 10, aims to reach millions of commuters with messages displayed on Metro trains and select stations, highlighting the importance of women’s safety, mental health support, digital inclusion, pre-conception and prenatal diagnostic techniques (PC-PNDT), and tuberculosis awareness.
Speaking at the launch of the campaign, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said, “A family or a nation cannot truly progress unless the women are healthy. The health and safety of women are critical issues.
“Through this Delhi Metro campaign, we hope to spread this message to a wide segment of people. This is a powerful medium to take the message directly to them.” She added that messages on tuberculosis awareness, reducing the digital divide, the PC-PNDT Act, 1994, and other key issues have been displayed both inside the coaches and on the exterior of the trains.
On the increasing ease of access to technologies used for gender determination, the health secretary said, “Earlier, people relied on ultrasound to determine the gender of the fetus. Now, new technologies are being used for the same purpose. These practices must stop, and people need to be sensitised accordingly.” Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-charge, World Health Organization (WHO), Southeast Asia, said, “Here at this Metro station, some journeys end and others begin. Today marks the final day of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. And, as that campaign ends, another begins.
“We are proud to launch the Delhi Metro campaign for women’s and girls’ health and well-being, rooted in two simple and enduring truths: Healthy Women = Healthy Nations, and #BecozSheMatters.” She added that healthy women are pillars of a healthy family, community, and a healthy nation.
“Health of women and girls, including mental health, is important not just for their well-being, but most importantly for our well-being,” Boehme said.
India continues to strengthen women’s health and empowerment through various national initiatives such as Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar Abhiyan, Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matriva Abhiyan (PMSMA), Mission Shakti, the Nirbhaya Fund and Ayushman Bharat. Srivastava said. (PTI)
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