Anatomic and physiologic role, coupled with our peculiar socio-cultural traits make it difficult for women to maintain good health. Maternal and child health are therefore a major priority of this government as it has been of many previous governments but very little progress has been made because of our frank admission of the causative factors. Since birth, a female child is discriminated, particularly in the rural communities and as a result receives about 30% less nutrition than its contemporary male off-springs. Since only 1% of female children ever go to school, they also do not receive knowledge or training to look after themselves. The use of dairy products highly tainted with steroids (there is no law preventing it) makes the female child menstruate early and begin bearing children sooner than their predecessors. Girls who go to schools are again subjected to many stereotype beliefs about how they should participate in physical sports necessary for their physical and therefore mental development. Most girl begin pregnancy in their teens and with each pregnancy comes a great toll on their body reserves of nutrition, particularly iron, that is never compensated since dietary adjustments are rarely made. [Women lose about one-sixth of their body reserves of iron during each pregnancy.] Repeated pregnancies, 5-6 on a country-wide average and 8-10 in rural area and 3-4 in urban area make women extremely likely to remain anemic for their life. A detailed survey conducted in 1988 showed more than 55% of the Pakistani women are deficient in iron, leading to such common symptoms as tiredness, loss of breath and memory, irritability, swelling of feet, dried and brittle hair and frequent bouts of other illnesses.

Women are also subjected to a life-time of taboo against physical exercise that proves particularly harmful in urban environment where physical work is less. This leads to quick weight gains, particularly after pregnancies. By the time most women reach menopause age, they have put on a lot of weight, have been deficient in iron for a long time and have historically and chronically been deficient in calcium. All of these make osteoporosis (hollowing and breaking of bones) very likely. Few women receive hormone replacement at menopause causing them to suffer a lot of physical discomforts. All through their life, women face little gynecological care and most visit doctors only when there is a major problem. This results in wide-spread chronic infections of reproductive organs that further reduce resistance to other diseases.

Women are, unlike men, subject to many socio-cultural taboos that promote unhealthy life styles and given the great physical and emotional strain they live through, it takes a heavy toll. Much effort is needed to educate women about their own health and their training must begin at schools. So much of our future depends on the health of women that it is shocking why this subject has been so grossly neglected even in the present government of a woman.