CNS: WD2013

Showing posts with label WD2013. Show all posts

Multipurpose Prevention Technologies (MPTs) in spotlight at Women Deliver

Dr Nomita Chandhiok,ICMR

Bobby Ramakant - CNS
We are, perhaps, more likely to use a single product to simultaneously protect ourselves against unintended pregnancies and a wide range of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV than to use different products to meet our specific needs. Multipurpose Prevention Technologies (MPTs) have been around for many years such as male and female condoms although their poor utilization has been of deep concern. There is a growing mandate globally to push for more investment in research and development of new, safe and effective MPTs. This makes more sense in terms of public health and getting most value of every dollar spent.

Bobby Ramakant - CNS
In the region of Asia and the Pacific - though there has been continued progress towards fulfilling the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action (PoA) – progress in sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender equality is unacceptably slow and inconsistent, calling for urgent prioritization and investment. The Asia Pacific Alliance for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (APA) launched a latest publication at Women Deliver 2013 to strengthen investments for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Asia and the Pacific. This publication, "Resource Flows for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Asia and the Pacific: Gaps and Opportunities" highlights the striking disparities both between and within countries in this region.

Bobby Ramakant - CNS
Women Deliver 2013 is re-energizing the global response to issues of women and girls but has it adequately addressed issues that are unique to the most marginalized women and girls? Supporters of Unzip the Lips feel that Women Deliver did not adequately address issues of HIV and key affected women and girls. CNS speaks with advocates of the Unzip the Lips on what some of these issues are. Who are key affected women and girls? The Unzip the Lips campaign defines key affected women and girls in the concentrated epidemic in Asia and the Pacific as including women and girls who are living with HIV, female sex workers, women and girls who use drugs, transgender women and girls, mobile and migrant women, female prisoners, women with disabilities, women in HIV sero-discordant relationships, as well as intimate female partners of men who engage in behaviours that put them at a higher risk of HIV infection.

Bobby Ramakant - CNS
A new World Bank report released at Women Deliver 2013 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, demonstrates that investing in women’s reproductive health is smart economics. This report, formally called "Investing in women’s reproductive health: Closing the deadly gap between what we know and what we do", Jeni Klugman from World Bank said that women are important contributors to the global economy: about 40% of the global labour force and more than 60% of workers in agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa are women. Poor health reduces labour supply and contributes to lost wages, so improved reproductive health outcomes can increase female labour supply and productivity and therefore should be of great concern to policy makers.

Bobby Ramakant - CNS
[CNS Images from WD 2013]
222 million women in developing countries, who want to use modern contraception methods, are not able to have access to them. Meeting women's family planning needs would prevent 54 million unplanned pregnancies, 79,000 maternal deaths and 1.1 million infant deaths. There are other savings too, for every USD 1 spent on family planning saves countries USD 4 in areas such as education, healthcare, water and sanitation, said delegates at Women Deliver 2013.

Unzip The Lips, an Asia Pacific regional campaign supported by a range of organizations and networks, is gaining momentum as Women Deliver 2013 opened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Unzip The Lips campaign made a six-point appeal to estimated 5000 delegates who are attending Women Deliver 2013.

Malaysian PM Haji Abdul Razak

Bobby Ramakant - CNS
A girl in Malaysia today is more likely to go to a university than a boy. “65% students enrolled in tertiary colleges are women” said Malaysian Prime Minister Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak at Women Deliver 2013. While many countries are grappling to bring down deaths of women during pregnancy and child birth, Malaysia’s maternal mortality rates have dipped down by nearly half today compared to what they were in 1990. And undoubtedly Malaysian economy is strong in the region (USD 1 = RM 2.84).