Ahead of the International Women’s Day 2018 celebrated on March 8, Bayer hosted a women’s health stakeholder dialogue in Mumbai to discuss advances in women’s health to help them make right health choices in the context of innovative therapies for contraception, menstrual hygiene and gynecological issues.

The deliberation brought forth the point that investing in education on sexual and reproductive health – especially for young women and girls – not only benefits the woman, but also the ecosystem of family, the community and the nation.

Speaking on the occasion, Manoj Saxena, managing director, Bayer Zydus Pharma and South Asia Head of Bayer Pharma said: “Bayer has a long standing history in finding solutions to address the unmet medical needs of women all around the world. As pioneers in Women’s Health, we play an important role in making these innovative therapies available for treatment and thus empowering women to lead a better quality of life. ”

In the view of rapidly changing lifestyle of women, Film actress Spruha Joshi in her keynote address elaborated on the importance of correct education coupled with healthy habits.

While touching relevant pain points, Gynecologist Dr. Rishma Pai elaborated on the stages of women healthcare stating, “Women’s healthcare should ideally start with proper adolescent health counselling followed by pre-reproductive and reproductive-age related issues.”

Echoing similar view, Infertility Expert Dr. Nandita Palshetkar, added that she is glad that these discussions have been started and she looks forward to more focused discussions on topics such as endometriosis to spread awareness and correct information”.

Shubhalaxmi Patwardhan, director from Niramaya Health Foundation which is working to improve health of the local communities for the past many decades said, “It is very heartening that a dialogue on women’s healthcare has been initiated by Bayer Zydus in India. Let’s not forget that a large section of women in India still grapple with basic issues of malnutrition, safe pregnancy and safe childbirth.”

The panelists called for an increased participation of all stakeholders in ensuring healthcare is being made available to women in urban as well as rural areas. There was unanimous agreement that several major health issues can be avoided and diagnosed early if there is adequate awareness on these topics. All stakeholders can leverage on their expertise to play an important role in raising awareness and providing the right information to women, helping them make informed health choices

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care. The company aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power.In fiscal 2016, the Group had sales of EUR 34.9 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.2 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.4 billion.