Improving Women’s Health Through Universal Health Coverage

Improving Women’s Health Through Universal Health Coverage

By: Jonathan Quick, Jonathan Jay, Ana Langer
Publication: PLoS MedicineJan. 16, 2014. 11 (1): e1001580.

Abstract

Improving women’s health throughout the life course will contribute to other post-2015 goals. Conversely, women’s social empowerment will improve health. For this virtuous cycle to occur, the next iteration of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has to embrace women’s health and wellbeing as a priority—particularly since indicators of women’s health are those lagging the farthest behind in the current MDGs. Universal health coverage is generally agreed to be an essential means of achieving post-2015 health goals, including addressing inequalities in women’s health care. This article looks at critical factors for designing and implementing universal health coverage to improve women’s health. The authors draw on examples from Afghanistan, Mexico, Thailand, and Rwanda.