Have you insured your health?

When homemaker Nikkita Thakkar, 34, persisted, her husband told her she was insured under a family insurance scheme of Rs 1 lakh. He had a separate health insurance for Rs 3 lakh.

 

She admits it does not make a difference whether she is insured: "It is not my area, and I would rather leave it all to my husband."

 

Nikkita is just echoing her million-plus Indian counterparts. In tending to their home, their children, their husbands and parents, they quite ignore - and are even unaware of - their own psychological and physical needs.

 

On the other hand, Pallavi Mehra, 34, CA, works with a reputed pharmaceutical company. She has a hectic schedule between work and home. Her company provides her a health insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh under a group insurance scheme.

 

She thought it was adequate. Till, last year, her mother fell ill. The hospital bills ran up to Rs.2.5 lakh. That's when the high costs hit her.

 

She now has her own policy worth Rs 2 lakh. Her total cover: Rs 3 lakh.

 

High health risks for women

"Most women do not realise they are stressed because of the multifaceted roles they have to play," says Dr Swati Lanke, a Mumbai gynaecologist.

 

She says these women are so hard-pressed for time that they put their health and well-being at the bottom of their priority list. Only when things get serious do they get themselves examined or seek medical help.

 

After nearly five decades of having women employees in the government and corporate sectors in India, doctors are observing some trends in the health patterns of these women, some alarming and some to watch out for.

 

Medical reports say women and men have the same risk factors for Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) — smoking, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol levels.

 

Women must watch out for CHD because blood cholesterol levels increase with age. After menopause, a woman's cholesterol levels are higher than those of men of the same age. After 45, a woman's blood pressure is also, on average, higher than that of men.

 

Obesity is linked to heart disease in women. The number of overweight obese women is increasing in many countries, including India.

 

A recent study by the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore, found that 3.1 per cent of Indian women — about 17 million — hit menopause between the ages of 30 and 34. Eight per cent (44 million) are menopausal by the time they are 39: a wake-up call for women.