An Overview of Femininity in Indian Public health sector

A comprehensive amount of femininity exists and is practiced in the public health sector of India. National Rural Health Mission enabled an enhanced engagement of women in numbers, making the public health sector one of the sectors that employed women in large numbers.<b>Aims:</b> The chief aim of this paper was to examine the amount, approach, and consequences of women's engagement in the public health sector and to identify the factors mutually conducive for women and the public health sector.<b>Setting and design:</b> This paper is a part of the overall doctoral research by the author conducted during the year 2009-11 throughout the country.<b>Methods and materials:</b> Research was conducted mainly through qualitative form of research and data collected by employing several case studies, sample surveys, and interviews. Quite a few facts examined in the premises of literature such as “Rural Health Survey 2009”, “MIS on NRHM 2011”, “Framework of Implementation of NRHM 2005”, “Bulletins of Sample Registration System 2006, 2008”, “National Family Health Survey 2006, 2008” and “District Level Household Survey 2006, 2008”.<b>Results:</b> Almost two million women were employed or engaged in the public health sector of India as of 2012. However, their number was expected to increase further because still the public health centers were not adequately staffed and a range of staff was required as per the norms of the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS). The situation has been described as “<i>towards a</i> n<i>umerical adequacy’</i> or ‘s<i>tatistical control’</i> for women in the public health sector of India. Women played a key role in various public health programs such as immunization, institutional delivery, nutrition, awareness, hygiene, sanitation, and other peripheral activities and promoted the slothful health indicators. Women's health workforce in the rural areas utilized their money and time comparatively better than their counterparts in the urban areas. They promoted their households, and other livelihoods, and reduced the overall burden of diseases.<b>Conclusion:</b> Women have contributed significantly to improving the slow-moving health indicators of the country and there were optimistic spillover effects on another social-development sector evident.