Women must be placed at the centre of healthcare decisions, with their voices included in the planning and shaping of relevant health services, a sexual and reproductive health advocate says.
Chief Executive Officer of the Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation Patricia Bisnauth made the call during the University of Guyana’s Institute of Gender Studies’ second annual lecture series, which examined childbearing, gender and women’s value in society.
“Women, they are not just an instrument of childbearing but they are decision makers, they are agents and they need to be a part of every step of the way, in policies, in implementation, in planning for these primary healthcare services so that women and girls can be truly served with dignity, with respect and justice at the centre,” Bisnauth said.
She noted that while Guyana has invested in improving healthcare, focus must also remain on women’s experiences within the system, including access to care, gender-based violence and adolescent pregnancies.
Bisnauth said maternal health is not simply a health issue, but a question of justice. She added that advancing this work will require more than infrastructure and technology alone.
“We have the health sector, we have the technology but we need that shift in our culture, in our faith, in our understanding to be able to make real change,” Bisnauth said.
The lecture also examined the history behind how women’s pain and choices have often been overlooked during childbirth. Director of the Institute of Gender Studies Dr Lisa Edwards said the series aims to redefine conversations around childbearing while creating a simple yet powerful way to connect these issues with communities.
An exhibition accompanying the lecture displayed obstetric equipment once used, and in some cases still used, on women’s bodies. Edwards said the exhibits and accompanying illustrations offer an alternative way of engaging with research and with topics of this nature.
