Lecture focuses on gender inequality present in worldwide healthcare

By David Zukowski
Western Herald

On Tuesday night, the Diether H. Haenicke Institute for Global Education and World Affair Council of Western Michigan welcomed Mayra Buvinic, Ph.D., the World Bank’s senior spokesperson on gender and development issues and internationally respected expert on gender and social development, in the second of a three-part telecom lecture series on world-wide health care for women.

The topic of Buvinic’s lecture, which was telecasted from St. Joseph College in West Hartford, Connecticut, centered on gender inequality that is present in worldwide healthcare systems and how it affects thousands of women on an annual basis.

The presentation began with a short video depicting the horrific situation in Chad where nearly one in 11 women dies during childbirth. The film revealed that despite having a public healthcare system, women are not only required to pay for procedures, but must also pay for miscellaneous expenses such as the cost of needles, IV fluids, and even clean blankets. Even if a woman is able to afford the various costs, local hospitals often lack the necessary supplies to offer proper treatment.

“Nearly 500,000 women die during childbirth each year,” Buvinic said.

“The sad thing is that most of these deaths are preventable.”

Throughout her speech, Buvinic cited various examples of gender inequality, such as the practice of female genital mutilation, which affects over one million females annually, the preference of male over female patients, and even how women become outcasts for carrying diseases such as HIV, even if a male was at fault.

Buvinic emphasized that the issue would remain unresolved unless the effected population made the decision to combat the inequalities.

“The change needs to come from within,” she said.

“It cannot come from outside sources.”

Buvinic mentioned that monetary donations and similar charities were insufficient and would not reach the core of the issue. She said that the most effective way to help these countries is to help on a local level by encouraging citizens to actively pursue gender equality.

“It’s not just about donating your money, but donating your time,” she said.

Buvinic concluded her lecture by mentioning that, despite the seemingly overwhelming pessimism, there is hope, and the situation is improving, albeit gradually. According to Buvinic, there has been progress in decreasing the practice of female genital mutilation, and that by empowering women and enlightening those in policy making positions, the issue of gender inequalities can one day be solved.

At the close of her lecture, Buvinic offered three tips to anyone interested in combating gender inequality or fighting for any other cause. The first is being persistent, and continually pursuing a cause. The second is to have belief in oneself, which leads to the final and most important piece of advice. That is being passionate about one’s cause. Being motivated and believing in a cause can drive individuals to accomplish extraordinary things, and it is critical in effectively resolving any issue.

Following the lecture, Buvinic responded to questions from the audience. One audience member asked what the single most beneficial action was to improve healthcare inequalities.

“Providing better healthcare access to women around the world,” Buvinic said.

While this reply may seem very vague, it is in fact a legitimate response, as there really is no middle ground between equal and unequal healthcare, and that, as stated during her lecture, “Society can only advance when [people] recognize the true role and value of women.”

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Oct 14 2009. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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