Karnataka's health department has announced 'Ruthutaare', a menopause-focused programme poised to become India's first dedicated women's health policy. According to Health Minister UT Khader, it is the first such initiative in the country and possibly in Asia.
The programme includes a house-to-house survey by ASHA workers to identify women in perimenopause and menopause, awareness campaigns on nutrition, sleep, exercise and stress, family sensitisation, the establishment of a policy committee, appointment of a celebrity ambassador, and the eventual creation of mid-life clinics in every district.
Acknowledgement of menopause by any state government is a significant step towards women’s empowerment. Indian health policy in the past has focused on women, primarily in their reproductive years. However, there is limited attention paid to health concerns beyond childbirth. One reason could be the absence of menopause as a specific item in national programmes or the medical curriculum.
Karnataka’s new policy is a welcome move, as it represents a departure from the absence of a menopause policy and deserves to be celebrated.
However, the programme as currently designed is based on an assumption not supported by national data: that menopause in India is a natural transition occurring in the late forties and is best managed through lifestyle interventions.
For a significant proportion of Indian women, menopause occurs as a result of surgical intervention, often years earlier than expected.