Reforming country health systems for women’s health

In this spirit, there are surely three areas of health-systems reform that have great potential for increasing access and uptake of health services by women. First, women need to be able to access health care without encountering financial barriers. Financial constraints frequently deter women’s uptake of health services10 and present a major obstacle to achieving universal coverage—even where the supply of services is increasing. These constraints include the cost of travel to seek care, costs of accommodation, and user charges imposed at the point of services delivery. Second, women need health services that are centred on women. Most health services are not sufficiently comprehensive or responsive to the needs of women. Flexible services where trust, respect, privacy, and confidentiality can be ensured are essential if women are to actively seek prevention, treatment, or support services.8, 11 Third, women need to participate more fully and meaningfully in decision-making processes related to health systems and health-care provision. Women make an essential contribution to the health workforce12 but their role often goes unrecognised, unsupported, and unrewarded and their potential to take on senior management roles within the health sector is often untapped. The dual role of women as both consumers and providers of health services offers extraordinary potential for women as agents of change in the effort for health-systems reform.