Breaking Barriers for Gender-Equitable Health Systems

1. BREAKING BARRIERS For Gender-Responsive & Equitable Health Systems https://www.who.int/healthinfo/universal_health_coverage/report/2019/en/

2. BREAKING BARRIERS Gender and equity to reach universal health coverage Veronica Magar, Divya Parmar Gender, Equity, Human Rights Team 24 Sept 2019 @DrVeronicaMagar #GenderUHC

3. Women have distinct needs • Access to reproductive, maternal and child health services is improving, but many women and children are still not being reached Source: Demographic and Health Surveys or Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys • Gender, Equity, Human Rights Team

4. Women’s social independence influences access to health service Source: Demographic and Health Surveys • Gender, Equity, Human Rights Team

5. Abolishing user fees for maternal, and child health services • User fees exemptions for MCH services have reduced financial barriers to some extent Source: WHO Global Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health Policy Survey 2018–2019 • Gender, Equity, Human Rights Team

6. Noncommunicable diseases are the leading cause of death in women • They account for 73% of all deaths in women • There are regional differences in mortality which reflect disparities in access to preventive services, diagnosis and treatment. • Breast cancer five-year survival rate is close to 90% in North America and below 60% in many LIC • Death from cardiovascular diseases in women is 1.7 times as high in LMIC as in HIC • Gender, Equity, Human Rights Team

7. Gender also affects men’s health • NCDs is the leading cause of death among men – accounting for 70% of all deaths in men 54% men reported being current drinkers and 34% men reported smoking tobacco daily, corresponding figures for women, 32% and 6% (2016, over 18 years) • Gender, Equity, Human Rights Team

8. Barrier to seeking healthcare • Men are less likely than women to access health services for HIV and tuberculosis, more likely to delay seeking care, have lower treatment rates and worse health outcomes than women • • Coverage of HIV antiretroviral therapy among adult men was 55% in 2018, compared with 68% among women • Gender, Equity, Human Rights Team

9. Gender, Equity and Rights Programme Support Package Tools to support equity analysis – who is left behind and where Understanding why through barrier analysis Addressing the “now what” by strengthening health systems & addressing barriers Strengthening national policies, strategies and plans • Gender, Equity, Human Rights Team

10. Universal Health Coverage • We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination. • Nelson Mandela @DrVeronicaMagar #UHCHLM #GenderUHC

11. BREAKING BARRIERS For Gender-Responsive & Equitable Health Systems #UHCHLM #GenderUHC #UNGA74 https://www.who.int/healthinfo/universal_health_coverage/report/2019/en/

12. BREAKING BARRIERS For Gender-Responsive & Equitable Health Systems #UHCHLM #GenderUHC #UNGA74