Karnataka has begun a three-month pilot of the Ritu Taare scheme in Dakshina Kannada to provide integrated care for women aged 35 and above dealing with menopause-related physical symptoms and mental stress. The state Health Department issued an order outlining the delivery system, health facilities and treatment camps required for the programme.
The scheme has been designed on the recommendation of the State Technical Advisory Committee and is intended to become a statewide programme after the pilot phase. Actress Ramya has been appointed its ambassador and will support awareness efforts on women’s health, according to the order reported by Prajavani.
The programme will use the existing public health network, including primary health centres, Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, taluk hospitals, district hospitals and identified medical colleges. Health authorities have been instructed to map these facilities and identify eligible women aged 35 and above before implementation begins across the pilot district.
Special treatment camps will be held every Wednesday at primary health centres, taluk hospitals and district hospitals. Medical colleges will conduct camps every Saturday. Accredited Social Health Activists and health officials will participate in identifying women, directing them to suitable facilities and supporting follow-up treatment.
Women covered by the scheme will receive health screening, medical assessment, counselling and treatment. Those requiring advanced care will be referred to higher-level medical facilities. Each eligible woman will also receive a midlife health card, creating a defined record for accessing services and following up on treatment.
The order also requires the preparation and distribution of awareness material in Kannada on menopause, nutrition, physical activity, bone health and mental well-being. The material is intended to reach women through the public health system rather than relying only on hospital-based treatment.
The scheme places menopause within the state’s broader approach to comprehensive health services for women. Its implementation will depend on how effectively frontline workers identify eligible women, how clearly referral pathways operate between different levels of care and whether the scheduled camps are supported by medical staff and follow-up services.
The Health Department’s order states that women’s health does not end with motherhood and that women should not have to silently endure the menopause transition. The immediate administrative task is to complete facility mapping, identify beneficiaries and begin the weekly camps during the three-month pilot in Dakshina Kannada before a decision on statewide expansion.
