Maternal and child health from a human rights perspective: the Indian scenario and nuns as community health enablers

Abstract

All women need access to antenatal care in pregnancy, skilled care during childbirth, and care and support in the weeks after childbirth. This discussion tries to look into the life context of maternal and child health, and the health scenario of women/girl children in general in India from the perspective of Human Rights. Currently, most of the public and private health experts and organizations do not talk and act on the human rights perspective of health service delivery. Reversely, only a very few rightsbased organizations advocate directly the right to health for the marginalized. Within the framework of a rights-based approach, the right to (Maternal) Health on practical terms means "Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability and Quality." Concluding, in the background of the Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI), the discussion also focuses on how the nun nurses play their role as "Community Health Enablers" to improve the situation.