Societies and their health systems are failing women
Health system shortfalls deprive women of health care
The reasons why health systems fail women are often complex and related to the biases they face in society. However, these shortfalls can be understood and they can and should be challenged and changed. For example, women face higher health costs than men due to their greater use of health care yet they are more likely than their male counterparts to be poor, unemployed or else engaged in part-time work or work in the informal sector that offers no health benefits. One of the keys to improving women’s health therefore, is the removal of financial barriers to health care. For instance, where there are user fees for maternal health services, households pay a substantial proportion of the cost of facility-based services, and the expense of complicated deliveries is often catastrophic. Evidence from several countries shows that removing user fees for maternal health care, especially for deliveries, can both stimulate demand and lead to increased uptake of essential services. Removing financial barriers to care must be accompanied by efforts to ensure that health services are appropriate, acceptable, of high quality and responsive to the needs of girls and women