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is around 80 percent. Women are also in majority of health facility service-staff – such as cleaners, laundry, catering and as such they are more likely to be exposed to the virus.
Therefore, special attention is to be given to the health, psychosocial needs and work environment of frontline female health workers. It has been suggested that Personal Protective Equipment should be of the appropriate size for women as the masks and covers of ‘default man’ size often used in design and production leave women more exposed. It is also important to include products such as essential hygiene and sanitation items (e.g. sanitary pads, soaps, hand sanitizers, etc.) for female health workers, women and girls, particularly those quarantined for prevention, screening and treatment. Given the heightened vulnerability of female frontline workers and community volunteers, and cases of violence against them, clear measures need to be in place to prevent and mitigate abuse and gender-based violence.
To sum up, in a resource constraint country like India, aggressive steps are needed to fight against COVID-19, to mitigate the collateral damage of this fatal virus. It can’t be overlooked that women will be facing hard challenges posed by the new environment which calls for a fresh approach to the public health emergency response. The voices of women on the front lines must be included in response planning. Participation of women in policy making and implementation is also pivotal for a better understanding of women’s social, cultural and health issues and every policy response that recognizes this fact will be more impactful in our fight against the contagion and the spill over effects it’s likely to produce.
We need to reshape Our own perception of how we view ourselves.
We have to step up as Women and take the lead.
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