Preventative Care & Communicable Diseases

Why is preventative care critical for female factory workers’ prevention of communicable diseases?

BSR has found that women workers, as well as the general population in many developing countries, are not culturally inclined to practice preventative health care. This may be due to cultural practice, limited access to quality health care and medicine, or monetary restrictions. As a result, it is extremely uncommon for female factory workers and their families to visit the doctor for check-ups or for a health concern that is not considered life threatening. Knowledge is limited regarding the prevention and spread of fever, colds and cough and other diseases. Maintaining a decent level of health through doctors’ visits has a direct impact on worker absenteeism and productivity, with implications for both workers’ livelihoods and for factory’s bottom lines.

What is HERproject doing to address this risk?

HERproject begins many of our programs with the premise that individual women’s health matters, and that preventative care is critical for them, their children, and their families. HERproject also has a training module that emphasizes the prevention of infection, and describes the symptoms and treatment for general communicable diseases such as fever, common cold, diarrhea and conjunctivitis.