The Ramalingaswami Centre on Equity and Social Determinants of Health, PHFI, Bangalore

This December, we mark World Human Rights Day on December 10th and Universal Health Coverage Day on December 12th, by highlighting the work of the Centre's founding director, Prof. Gita Sen. Her work on UHC and human rights, particularly through a gender lens, informs on equitable and inclusive health systems worldwide. Read more about her insights here: https://lnkd.in/gvm_4Yci.

The Ramalingaswami Centre on Equity and Social Determinants of Health, Public Health Foundation of India, invites you to attend our monthly colloquium series on 18 December 2024, Wednesday, 4 - 5:30pm.  Aparna Uppaluri, Founder & Principal Advisor, Antara Advisory, will speak on Philanthropy and the Worlds of Evidence: Sifting through power, experience and expertise in public health. In this talk, Aparna will unpack how the ‘hierarchies of evidence' influence philanthropic spending and the public health agenda To register for this event, please click on https://bit.ly/3ZiuwsJ or scan the QR code on the poster. Please share this email widely and mark your calendars for the next Colloquium, scheduled for 22 January, 2025. #philanthropyinhealthcare #philanthrophy #health #universalhealthcare #publichealth #India #rcesdh #phfi #healthequity #researchforchange #empoweringcommunities #healthforall

Effective communication is a key element of medical care; it can foster a warm interpersonal relationship, facilitate the exchange of information, and enable shared decision-making. In the context of obstetric care, it is associated with a range of positive clinical and social outcomes for mother and baby. But few studies have examined intrapartum communication in the Indian setting. Based on interviews with providers across different levels of public health facilities in two districts of Karnataka, we identified four types of communication: compassionate, factual, prescriptive, and defensive. Knowledge and power hierarchies operated differently in each type of communication, and did not necessarily serve the goals of communication in a medical interaction. Our findings point to the necessity of integrating an understanding of the ways in which social hierarchies operate in a clinical setting into respectful maternity care guidelines, medical curricula, training programmes, and interventions. #communicationhealth #communication #medicalcommunications #health #universalhealthcare #publichealth #India #rcesdh #phfi #healthequity #researchforchange #empoweringcommunities #healthforall

#PublicationAlert Our paper on Communication and Respectful Maternity Care urging greater attention to knowledge and power hierarchies, and an understanding of the ways in which they operate in a clinical setting - is finally out! Check out our new publication! https://lnkd.in/e3tKXxFP The Ramalingaswami Centre on Equity and Social Determinants of Health, PHFI, Bangalore

On this International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we at the Ramalingaswami Centre on Equity & Social Determinants of Health reaffirm our commitment to addressing systemic disrespect and abuse (D&A) in maternal healthcare. Our quantitative and qualitative research in Southern India has illuminated how socio-economic inequalities and entrenched power hierarchies can lead to violations of women’s dignity and well-being during obstetric care. Translating the learning from this work, the Centre is spearheading the LaQshya Smriti initiative, a pilot project aimed at embedding Respectful Maternity Care within public hospitals in Bengaluru. This project seeks to build on the quality improvements achieved under the government’s LaQshya initiative by prioritising the agency, dignity, rights of mothers during childbirth. This ensures that every mother has a positive childbirth experience, promotes safe motherhood and lays a strong foundation for newborn health. #EndViolenceAgainstWomen #RespectfulMaternityCare #HealthEquity #EndViolence #16Days #NoExcuse #internationaldayfortheeliminationofviolenceagainstwomen #health #universalhealthcare #publichealth #India #rcesdh #phfi #healthequity #researchforchange #empoweringcommunities #healthforall

The Ramalingaswami Centre on Equity and Social Determinants of Health, Public Health Foundation of India, invites you to attend our monthly colloquium series on 13 November 2024, Wednesday, 4 - 5:30pm. Dr. Abhijit Das, Centre for Health and Social Justice, will speak on Partners in Health: Men’s Role in Women’s Reproductive Well-being. Dr. Das will reflect upon a long career in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality, and intimate partner violence, to explain the importance of men’s participation in reproductive decision-making and involvement in the reproductive health and well-being of their partners. To register for this event, please click on https://bit.ly/3UsBKZr or scan the QR code on the poster. #partnersinhealth #reproductivehealth #health #universalhealthcare #publichealth #India #rcesdh #phfi #healthequity #researchforchange #empoweringcommunities #healthforall

India's AMR Crisis: A Budgetary Perspective Meher Suri, Gayatri Menon and Shreelata Rao Seshadri, from the Centre have analyzed the gaps in India's budget allocations for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). Despite a commitment at the 2024 UN General Assembly, India's spending on this "silent pandemic" shows worrying trends. Between 2012 - 2017, a dedicated AMR program had INR 112 crores allocated; in 2017 -18, that was down by 99.4% to just INR 0.13 crores, only to fluctuate since. Further, merely four states have started implementing their State Action Plans since its 2017 launch. With AMR projected to push 24 million people into poverty worldwide, this crisis needs more than statements—it needs sustained action and investment. Can India afford to let AMR slip through the cracks? #AMR #PublicHealth #HealthBudget #GlobalHealth #India #antimicrobialresistance #urbanhealth #health #universalhealthcare #publichealth #India #rcesdh #phfi #healthequity #researchforchange #empoweringcommunities #healthforall

Our Centre organized a panel titled: "Challenging Norms: Gender Socialization and Men's Mental Health" at Mannotsava 2024, @National Mental Health Festival organised by NIMHANS, Bangalore and National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in partnership with Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies. The panel included Gender & Health expert Aparna Uppaluri, Psychiatrist Dhruva Ithal, and Sociologist @Nilotpal Kumar, moderated by Shreelata Rao Seshadri, Director, RCESDH. Our panelists noted that gender socialization can impact men's mental health in different ways - by limiting their modes of expression, willingness to seek help, and the ability to build meaningful connections unfettered by gendered social norms and roles. The way in which masculinity is constructed can disadvantage both men and women, profoundly impacting their mental health. The construction of gender has to be deeply interrogated - by breaking down barriers between men's private experience of masculinity and their public performance of it; and critically examining gender power relations as foundational to moving towards greater social justice. They argued that it is necessary to change the narrative around masculinity by working at the ground level with schools and local governing boards (such as gram sabhas and panchayats) and in popular culture by telling different stories through film, theatre, and dance. #NationalMentalHealthFestival #Mannotsava2024 #MentalHealthMatters #MentalWellbeing #MentalHealthAwareness #NIMHANS #NCBS #RohiniNilekaniPhilanthropies #CommunityWellbeing #MentalHealthForAll #BangaloreEvents ##publichealth #India #rcesdh #phfi #healthequity #researchforchange #empoweringcommunities #healthforall

Excited to share that our Centre will be part of Mannotsava, the Mental Health Festival hosted by NIMHANS, Bangalore and NCBS, in partnership with Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies. Don't miss our panel - Challenging norms: Gender socialization & men’s mental health on Oct 26, 12:30-1:30 pm at the NIMHANS Convention Centre. Join us in the conversation! The event is open and free for all. To register, click on this link: https://lnkd.in/gCaWBp9J #NationalMentalHealthFestival #Mannotsava2024 #MentalHealthMatters #MentalWellbeing #MentalHealthAwareness #NIMHANS #NCBS #RohiniNilekaniPhilanthropies #CommunityWellbeing #MentalHealthForAll #BangaloreEvents ##publichealth #India #rcesdh #phfi #healthequity #researchforchange #empoweringcommunities #healthforall

The construction industry is one of the largest employers in India, and one of the most hazardous. Numerous carcinogens are used in construction work, and research in other countries suggests strong associations with a range of cancers. Research in the Indian setting is scant. Work by Dr. Abha Rao, RCESDH, has found that construction workers, who are often socioeconomically disadvantaged rural-to-urban migrants, find it challenging to access health and other social services that contribute to wellbeing. Financial, linguistic, and practical barriers further hinder care seeking in the event of an illness. Enforcement of workplace safety laws and regulations, mobile health camps and cancer screenings, and the development of health and insurance schemes specifically intended for this population are necessary. In the coming years, trends indicate that the number of individuals involved in construction and engaged in temporary migration will increase, as will the incidence of cancer, suggesting the need for urgent policy attention. For more info, visit: https://lnkd.in/ggfc3_Yq #occupationalhazard #cancer #constructionworker #constructionindustry #indianhealthcare #publichealth #India #rcesdh #phfi #healthequity #researchforchange #empoweringcommunities #healthforall