Women’s Day 2026: Mahajan Imaging & Labs calls for early education and regular screening to break health stigmas

New Delhi: On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Mahajan Imaging & Labs hosted its Annual Media Conference “We for Her” at its flagship centre in Safdarjung Development Area, New Delhi, centred on the theme “Understanding the Critical Link Between Stress, Hormones & Fertility.”

Moderated by Dilip Cherian, communications consultant and founder of Perfect Relations, the conference brought together healthcare experts, educators, development professionals, and community leaders to discuss the growing impact of stress and lifestyle factors on women’s hormonal health and fertility, with a particular focus on the physical well-being of working women.

Opening the conference, Kabir Mahajan, Chief Operating Officer at Mahajan Imaging & Labs, highlighted the organisation’s commitment to women’s health and inclusive workplaces, noting that women constitute nearly 35 percent of the organisation’s workforce. He emphasised that conversations around stress, hormones, and fertility must move beyond awareness toward recognising early warning signs and preventive care, stressing that improving women’s health ultimately improves the quality of life for families and communities.

Emphasizing the role of education systems in shaping long-term health awareness and breaking social taboos around women’s health, Radhika Bharat Ram, Joint Vice Chairperson of The Shri Ram Schools and Founder and Chairperson of KARM for Young Indian Women, said “The conversation around women’s health must begin much earlier than we think. A woman’s health journey spans from puberty to the childbearing years and eventually menopause, yet we rarely equip young people with the knowledge to understand these changes. The soul of any institution lies in its educators, and when teachers are empowered with the right understanding of mental, emotional, and physical well-being, they can create classrooms that nurture healthier children. Women’s health is not only about individual well-being but also has a direct impact on families and communities. Cervical cancer, for instance, is largely preventable, yet awareness about screening and vaccination remains limited because these conversations are still surrounded by stigma. If we want meaningful change, we must create safe spaces where these issues can be discussed openly and ensure that men are included in the conversation as well.”

Adding a development sector perspective, Ms. Tanya Singh, Senior Director – Corporate Communications and Quality Assurance at IPE Global, highlighted the need to strengthen communication and community engagement around women’s health, noting, “One of the biggest gaps we see in India is not simply awareness, but how that awareness reaches people. Many health campaigns fail to reach women effectively because they are not communicated in local languages or adapted to local realities. Social stigma also plays a role, as many women continue to prioritise the health of other family members over their own. From a development perspective, we still have a great deal of work to do in ensuring that information about preventive healthcare and reproductive health reaches women in a meaningful way. At IPE Global, we work across development programmes focused on strengthening community awareness and institutional systems, and as part of this effort we have partnered with Mahajan Imaging & Labs to provide diagnostic services in certain programmes. When communication, community engagement, and access to reliable diagnostics come together, we can begin to address these challenges more effectively.”

Providing a clinical perspective, Dr. Rajeev Bhasin, General Physician and Internal Medicine Specialist, stressed that awareness around women’s health must begin early in life, stating, “When we examine health awareness in society, education often plays a more important role than socio-economic status. If girls are educated about their health from a young age, they are more likely to recognise symptoms and seek timely care. Awareness should begin even before adolescence because many health attitudes are shaped during childhood. In clinical practice, we often see that women prioritise the health of their families over their own, but when women are informed and empowered about preventive healthcare, the benefits extend to their entire family. That is why awareness campaigns must begin at the school level and continue through adulthood.”

Adding a community perspective, Ms. Afsana Cherian, Founder and Director at People for Action, highlighted the importance of grassroots initiatives in improving women’s health outcomes, saying, “When women are healthy, the benefits extend to their families, communities, and society as a whole. Through our grassroots work, we have seen how limited access to even basic screening can leave many conditions undetected. In several preventive health camps we conducted, nearly 85 percent of women between the ages of 28 and 45 had never undergone even a basic blood test. Once screening was introduced, we discovered widespread anemia and other untreated conditions. Preventive health camps are important because they provide immediate healthcare support while also creating awareness.”

Addressing the broader gaps in preventive healthcare, Ritu Mahajan, Co-founder and Executive Director of Mahajan Imaging & Labs, emphasised the need for women to prioritise their own health, noting, “Women often place themselves last when it comes to health, whether in underserved communities or urban households. Preventive healthcare should not be seen as a privilege; it is a right. Today, medical science offers numerous tools that allow conditions to be detected and treated early, but that requires women to prioritise routine health checks. Encouraging a culture where women place their health at the forefront, what I call the ‘First Me’ approach, can be transformative for women across all sections of society.”

Highlighting the role of diagnostics in early detection, Dr. Shelly Mahajan, Lab Director at Mahajan Imaging & Labs, noted that hesitation and fear often prevent women from undergoing preventive screenings, observing, “More than a lack of awareness, there is often a fear of knowing. Many women ignore early symptoms because they appear generic, such as fatigue, irregular cycles, or hormonal fluctuations, and these are often dismissed as lifestyle concerns. However, we are seeing a clear rise in hormonal imbalances, thyroid disorders, and reproductive health issues, particularly among working women experiencing chronic stress. It is also important to recognise that conditions such as PMS are often trivialised or treated as a joke, when in reality they can significantly affect a woman’s physical and emotional well-being. Awareness must begin early and should include boys as well, because understanding women’s health is not just a women’s issue but a societal one. Preventive diagnostics can identify warning signs much earlier, but only if women feel confident enough to undergo regular screenings and tests.”

The discussion brought together perspectives from healthcare, education, community development, and public discourse, reinforcing the importance of early awareness, preventive diagnostics, and proactive healthcare in addressing emerging challenges faced by working women. Through initiatives such as the “We for Her” Annual Media Conference, Mahajan Imaging & Labs continues to promote conversations around women’s preventive healthcare and the importance of prioritising health across every stage of a woman’s life.