On mother’s day, a leading newspaper in Delhi published the result of a survey listing the best states to be a mother in, and it nearly shocked me when I saw Manipur in the top three. It definitely amused me –shall I believe it or call it a sham! What do our women folks have in their favour that the rest of India seems to lack? I try to find some reasonable answer, apart from the slight difference in cultural factor and higher awareness level (I want to believe this), the three main criteria seems to be far-fetched for Manipur.
The survey was conducted by ‘Save the Children’, an NGO that compiled the data from the National Health and Family Survey 3 (NHFS), and the Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin. Their main three criteria were: infant mortality rates (IMR), antenatal care and institutional deliveries.
I have no details of the survey, so I cannot comment on which sector did our women scored their points. But I think it must be Infant Mortality Rates since the other two criteria are not the stuff Manipur is known of. Even though I don’t have any supporting data, there certainly are some reasons to believe that the mortality rate of Manipur is lower than the other states even with simple observation.
Apart from that, most of the north-eastern states have strong and liberated women compared to mainland women, educational achievement may not be higher, but overall literacy rate is definitely higher, and thus awareness. High awareness level in every aspect of life is important since it helps us prepare for whatever that comes and help us make the right choice.
Institutional deliveries and antenatal care, on the other hand, are still on the stage of dreams for the women of Manipur. Whatever antenatal cares they got are within their own capacity and effort, and there are very, very few institutions where women can deliver or approach for cares even in cases of complications.
In fact, there are very few women from the rural area, especially in Churachandpur district, who came up to the district hospital for, forget about weekly, monthly check-up or even to deliver. Delivery as well as antenatal cares were taken care-of at home. May be this is the reason why Infant Mortality Rate is low in Manipur.
This survey seems to prove that our traditional practices and cares of pregnant women –before, during and after delivery are not unhealthy or unprofessional. It seems our mothers knows as much as those goddamned nurses who don’t do their jobs. Kudos to our woman, they know how to take care of themselves and, oh yes, the family! Strong Women, God bless them all (excluding the Nurses and Doctors)!!!
As I can see, it may not be too presumptuous to say that the National Health and Family Survey-3’s data were rigged or the Manipur government must have supplied imaginary data since it is a rare sight to see a functioning Primary Health Centres in the rural areas of Manipur, and since most of the nurses and doctors posted in the rural areas have happily lived in their respective home irrespective of where their home is. Oh! I might just add ‘happily ever after’ –with no works and no one to pull them up!
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