By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 19: A study conducted by the Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH) on women hawkers at Iewduh in 2023 revealed that 32 per cent of them had contracted Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) due to lack of access to adequate clean public toilet amenities.
Informing this, Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said, “A 2023 study conducted by IIPHS on WaSH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) practices among 220 women street vendors of Iewduh, revealed how 32 per cent of them had contracted Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) due to lack of access to adequate clean public toilet amenities”.
The minister said, “They would also refrain from drinking water for long hours to avoid having to use unclean toilets and because they were located far from their stalls”.
“This study showed how an individual health problem would require to be solved by addressing various socio-economic dimensions — provision of clean hygienic washrooms, designing human-centred urban spaces, creating gender-sensitive infrastructure — involving collaboration between various government departments.”
The health minister further said that based on the findings of the IIPH, the minister said that she would soon initiate steps to construct toilets next to the vendor zones, starting from her constituency.