Affordable Quality Health conducted two intensive full-day workshops on Mainstreaming
Gender in Healthcare Settings for healthcare providers from multiple levels of the public
health system in Bhadradri Kothagudem district, Telangana.
The sessions covered foundational and practical aspects of gender and health, including:
Understanding the concepts of sex and gender
Exploring gender as a social determinant of health
Unconscious bias and discrimination in clinical settings
Gender-responsive communication and practice
Participatory tools like the “Power Walk” to surface inequities
While AQH has previously engaged with students and academic institutions on gender and
health, this was a significant step toward bringing those conversations into healthcare
facilities. The experience of working directly with frontline providers was both challenging
and deeply rewarding.
The workshops were part of a broader project to strengthen primary healthcare through
Participatory Action Research (PAR) in the northern districts of Telangana, supported by
Vijayavahini Charitable Foundation (backed by Tata Trusts) and implemented on the
ground by the Indigenous Development Organisation (IDO).
We are grateful to all the healthcare providers who participated, and to our dedicated on-
ground team whose language skills and community understanding made this engagement
possible.
Together, we are building gender-sensitive, equitable health systems.