"As an MP I often see that women are brought with serious illnesses by their husband at their last stage," Gandhi said.
The Women and Child Development Ministry has proposed a "health card" for women for their compulsory health check-up on a regular basis, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi said on Sunday. "We are proposing a compulsory health card for women making five to six most vital tests compulsory," Gandhi said during an event on the occasion of International Mother's Day here.
Gandhi put the onus of ensuring the annual check-up of women on their husbands, saying it is often the negligence on their part that aggravates the condition of a woman suffering from diseases such as cancer or TB. "It will be the responsibility of the woman's spouse to ensure that the tests are done and it has to be done every year. If anyone does not, many other avenues and direct transfer benefits would be stopped. "As an MP I often see that women are brought with serious illnesses by their husband at their last stage. There are various excuses by husbands to not take her to hospital," she said.
Women and Child Development Ministry, which Gandhi is in charge of, has proposed the measure although Health Ministry will have to work on the proposal and implement it, she said. Apart from the health card, Gandhi also spoke about her ministry's resolve on the issue of ensuring eight months maternity leave. "We would like to give mothers an eight-month break. I won't like working mothers to worry about their child suffering from cold and cough and so that they get to spend time with their children. We hope to get orders from the department of Personnel and a decision from cabinet on this soon," she said.
Speaking briefly on the government's flagship programme 'Beti -Bachao, Beti Padhao', Gandhi stressed that it has achieved a great deal of success in providing safety and education to girls. "At the end of one year, we had conducted an exhaustive survey on all the 100 constituencies (where the programme was implemented) and the child sex ratio there (from 700) had gone up to 907 which for me is amazing. If we continue like this we will reach a 1000," said Gandhi.
Listing down the steps taken by her ministry to ensure healthy well-being of mothers and pregnant women, especially in rural areas, Gandhi said that more than anything else, the government seeks change in people's attitude. "We seek change in the attitude of people. It is not about girls being born, it is about people valuing them enough to let them live," she added.
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