New Delhi: Experts in the national capital warned that the leading issue being faced by women was health.

"Every second woman in India suffers from some degree of anaemia, two percent are severely anaemic while 35 percent and 15 percent have mild and moderate anaemia levels. Lack of adequate resources prevents women from poor households from using health services," Pallavi Vaishya, nutrition expert, said at a seminar here on women's health.

Sunita Godara, fitness expert and former Asian marathon winner, said: "Women's health and safety are interconnected. But for a lot of women, health comes last in the priority list."

Highlighting growing prevalence of cancer among Indian women, Sidharth Sahni, senior consultant breast surgeon at Apollo hospital said: "Forty percent of new cases of cancer in India afflict women. India has the highest rate of cervical cancer in the world."

"If we neglect our health, it is loss of our family and of the society and ultimately of the country. Women are leading their lives full of physical and mental problems," said Ruchika Goel of Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute.

At the seminar which was organised by the Indian Medical Association, the launch of two websites dedicated to women's health issues was also announced.

The initiative was aimed at empowering women and to help them actively in the process of health care. It can bridge the gap between doctors and patients in the long run.