The pertinent topics of cervical cancer, unplanned pregnancy, and becoming a “woman of substance” were the topics of discussion at a Women’s Health webinar hosted by UKZN’s College of Health Sciences in commemoration of Women’s Month.
Convened by UKZN’s Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G), Professor Motshedisi Sebitloane, the webinar included a presentation by gynae-oncologist and O&G honorary lecturer, Dr Atisha Maharaj. Citing the World Health Assembly’s global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health threat, Maharaj said the disease remains a significant burden on South Africa’s healthcare system despite health experts having identified the infective agents that cause it, developed a vaccine against it, South Africa having a vaccine programme (including human papillomavirus [HPV] vaccination for female learners from Grade 4 upwards) and long-established screening protocols in place.
Maharaj said it was alarming that cervical cancer diagnoses are on the rise, and that more than 50 percent of women die within a year of diagnosis due to the advanced stage at which they present. ‘This needs to be addressed at a community level to make the general population more aware of the services available to them to prevent it,’ she cautioned.
Speaking about Unplanned Pregnancy and Contraceptive Choice, O&G Consultant at King Dinuzulu Hospital Complex and Head of its Family Planning Unit, Dr Mala Panday, said: ‘Unintended pregnancies are amongst the most troubling public health problems worldwide, not just in lower income countries, and it imposes appreciable social economic burdens on the individual woman and society at large.’
She said the good news is that over the last 20 years, maternal mortality has decreased by approximately one-third, but this is still not good enough because in 2019 nearly 200 000 women died because of pregnancy and childbirth – many of those in low-income countries including sub-Saharan Africa, and that the greater tragedy was that many of these pregnancies were unplanned, and some unwanted.
Panday said contraception was a simple powerful public health tool to reduce unintended pregnancies and improve maternal and neonatal outcomes by helping women to space, limit and time their pregnancies. ‘Contraception access empowers women and supports their pursuit of education, employment and gender equality, and thus improves the economy of a country. Unplanned pregnancies have serious ramifications and contraception is critical to mitigate these. Just providing contraception is not enough, we need to understand the unmet family planning needs of women to improve uptake. We are making strides, although not so with teenage pregnancy. Let’s keep forging ahead, and we have a better method mix now than ever before, all in the effort to ensure every woman can find a method suitable for them,’ she advised.
Challenging women to look within themselves, the final topic was: Women of Substance: From Empowerment to Inpowerment presented by the Clinical Head of Specialised Psychiatry at King Dinuzulu Hospital Complex, and Associate Professor in Psychiatry at UKZN, Professor Suvira Ramlall whose latest book: Inpowerment: Building Mental and Emotional Resilience, was launched in August 2023.
Ramlall said a “woman of substance”, in her opinion, was characterised by ‘being grateful for her feminine identity and attributes, trusting that cosmic intelligence chose the best and most appropriate vehicle for her to achieve her goals and fulfil her destiny.’
‘A woman of substance tries not to become a woman of success but rather to become a person of value. She defines her success not by her worldly achievements, but by her personal inner growth. She knows that character is destiny and that her most powerful tool to change the world is to transform herself. A woman of substance crafts her eulogy through her CV. While wanting to break glass ceilings, she simultaneously pierces the glass floor, diving deep within to mine the jewels of her heart, mind and soul. Laying a solid foundation for her worldly success, she knows that her life existed before and will continue to flourish beyond her years of formal employment. Her self-worth is not determined by the transitory nature of her work, title, status, qualifications or salary, but by the legacy that will outlive her,’ Ramlall said.
Encouraging women to constantly introspect, Ramlall said: ‘A woman of substance treats others based on her own humanity, not on who they are, what they can do for her, or what she can get in return. Secure in her identity, she sees her humanity reflected in the eyes of all – irrespective of outer differences. Secure in her own identity of self-love, she exudes confidence in her inherent power such that there is no room for an imposter syndrome, or the “Queen B” syndrome.’
The presentations were followed by a stimulating question and answer session. Watch the seminar here.
Words: Lunga Memela
Photographs: Supplied