Experts Warn: Women's Unequal Healthcare Access Fuels Drug-Resistant Infections
Health experts have issued a stark warning that the persistent inequality in women's access to healthcare, coupled with their heightened exposure to violence, is significantly worsening the global crisis of drug-resistant infections. This alarming trend is undermining international efforts to combat Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), posing a severe threat to public health worldwide.
Gender Disparities Amplify AMR Risks
During a recent virtual briefing that examined AMR through a gender lens, former World Health Organisation Chief Scientist, Soumya Swaminathan, emphasized the critical link between violence against women and their increased vulnerability to infections, including those resistant to drugs. She highlighted that women face elevated risks of intimate partner and domestic violence, which often result in untreated injuries or infections, creating a breeding ground for AMR.
Swaminathan further explained that due to entrenched social and household roles, women frequently encounter barriers in seeking timely and adequate medical care. This delay in treatment not only compromises their health but also escalates the likelihood of developing drug-resistant infections. She added that factors such as unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortions further heighten women's susceptibility to AMR, while rural women farmers, who often lack financial autonomy, may neglect infections or resort to inappropriate self-medication.
Systemic Issues in Women's Healthcare
The expert also pointed out that women are more likely to take incomplete courses of antibiotics, receive incorrect dosages, or postpone treatment for conditions like sexually transmitted infections, urinary tract infections, reproductive tract infections, and pelvic inflammatory disease. These practices contribute directly to the spread of drug-resistant strains. Swaminathan stressed the urgent need for gender-sensitive stewardship measures and the inclusion of gender-based violence indicators in National Action Plans on AMR to address these disparities effectively.
Cultural and Economic Barriers
Echoing these concerns, Esmita Charani, an Associate Professor at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, noted that in healthcare systems requiring out-of-pocket payments, male family members are often prioritized over female members, exacerbating gender inequities. Similarly, Deepshikha Bhateja, a Principal Research Scientist at the Indian School of Business, highlighted how cultural and societal norms disadvantage women. Issues such as menstruation taboos, caregiving responsibilities, job suitability biases, son preference, pregnancy-related stigma, and control of financial resources collectively impede women's access to essential healthcare services.
Stigma and Concealment of Illness
Adding a personal perspective, Bhakti Chavan, a survivor of extensively drug-resistant TB and a member of WHO's AMR Task Force, described how women diagnosed with TB or HIV/AIDS often conceal their illnesses due to fear of social stigma. This concealment can lead to delayed testing, avoidance of clinics, secretive medication use, or premature discontinuation of treatment, all of which significantly worsen AMR risks and hinder effective disease management.
The collective insights from these experts underscore the critical need for targeted interventions that address gender-specific barriers in healthcare. Without such measures, the fight against antimicrobial resistance will remain incomplete, with women disproportionately bearing the brunt of this global health challenge.
