The Indian Government has extended an invitation to the Catholic Church and other faith groups to work together in levelling the disparity in gender ratio throughout the country, as well as to help the Government upgrade India’s health system, reports AsiaNews.

|TOP|The invitation came during a speech by India’s Health and Family Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss, on selective abortions, which are banned under Indian law, and birth control.

Mr Ramadoss praised the commitment of members of the religious community: “Banning pre-natal sex determination is clearly not enough. It’s a social problem and we need to change the mindset of the people through people who can influence their thinking, such as religious leaders.”

A government survey showed that the number of females per 1,000 males remains the highest within Christian communities at 964/1,000, closely followed by Muslims at 950/1,000.

The Health Minister highlighted the success shown in the western states of Gujarat and the northern state of Punjab after religious leaders were brought into pro-female awareness campaigns.

The Government is also holding a national conference in Delhi in November involving leaders from all communities who will draft together a common plan of action for a national-level campaign incorporating some of the methods used at the state level.

The Prenatal Diagnostics Techniques Act of January 1996 outlawed pre-birth sex determination, but a drop in the ratio of females to males from 945/1,000 in 1991 to 927/1,000 in 2001 indicates that it is failing to prevent gender discrimination.

Demographer and social campaigner, Dr Malini Karkal, said babies are subject to discrimination even after birth, with violations ranging from malnutrition to a lack of medical care and the near-impossibility of receiving an education.

In an interview with AsiaNews, Fr Alex Vadakumthala, secretary of the Health Commission of the Bishops’ Conference, highlighted the continued vital work of Catholics in India’s educational, health and social sectors, particularly in the four southern states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andra Pradesh.

He said: “We have nearly 600 Sisters who are doctors and in India this is unique. The Sisters work in 95 per cent of villages which otherwise would not have any provision of medical services because it is not cost-effective to open clinics or dispensaries and so not even private enterprises set up in these places. Nearly all doctors go to the cities.”

The Indian Government also invited the Catholic Church to participate in its recently launched Rural Health Mission programme aimed at improving health services in villages.

Fr Vadakumthala said: “We have said very clearly that we intend to collaborate with the government and non-governmental organisations only if Catholic morals and ethics are respected.”

The collaboration of the Catholic Church is vital in making substantial improvements to the health development and education projects across the country, said Fr Vadakumthala.