Speaking with this paper, Dr Rahul Gajbhiye, Scientist E (Deputy Director), ICMR-NIRRCH, Mumbai, who led the national study, said, “The integrated model is designed to address the complex medical, psychological, and social needs of women with endometriosis across different life stages, ensuring coordinated and holistic care within the public healthcare system.”He said based on global evidence and findings from the ECGRI study, they developed the framework for the EndoCare India, which adopts a life-course approach, bringing together specialists from gynecology, anesthesiology, surgery, radiology, pathology, mental health, physiotherapy, nutrition, and social work to deliver comprehensive, continuous, and patient-centered care.Endometriosis affects all women; however, urban married women are diagnosed more often than those living in rural India. The reason is that women in cities have better access to healthcare, more awareness, and are more likely to seek medical attention.Comparing the treatment available globally, Dr Gajbhiye, who has been leading endometriosis research in India for the past two decades, said that care is delivered through multidisciplinary care models in countries like the US, Canada, the UK, Sweden, Denmark, France, and Australia.These countries also have dedicated pelvic pain clinics that help with early recognition of symptoms, accurate diagnosis, and prompt treatment.He said that in most cases in India, the disease goes undiagnosed mainly because there is a shortage of endometriosis specialists, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, low awareness of symptoms, social stigma surrounding menstruation-related disorders, and limited knowledge among general practitioners.“As a result, many women do not receive a timely diagnosis or treatment,” said Dr Gajbhiye, who presented the study findings and the model at the 16th World Congress on Endometriosis in May in Sydney, Australia.He said many women visit doctors only when the pain becomes unbearable, but often continue to suffer silently for years without a proper diagnosis.“Menstrual health remains taboo in many communities, and there is social stigma associated with undergoing surgery before marriage,” he told this paper.He said that the need of the hour is to develop educational programmes in schools, like in New Zealand, tailored to Indian settings. However, awareness must also be created in workplaces, at homes, and in society at large so that there is no social stigma attached to menstruation and menstrual disorders.Policymakers also need to be sensitised to the need to establish multidisciplinary endometriosis care centres in public hospitals.According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) fact sheet 2023, about 10% of women of reproductive age suffer from endometriosis in any population.
Source link
