Content area
Full Text
The strong links between health and development have been increasingly articulated by leaders in health policy and economic development: investments in health systems help to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development, while national development contributes to improved public health.1 The connection between health and development is clearly articulated in the Millennium Development Goals, which provide a global framework for current development efforts.
Gender-the social, cultural, and political constructs that prescribe feminine and masculine roles and which often lead to power imbalances between women and men2-also strongly affects health and development. Gender-related disadvantages, in addition to undermining human rights and social justice, contribute to poverty and poor health. Health policies and social systems that ensure women's equal access to information and services not only contribute to their wellbeing, but also affect economic growth and reduction of poverty by raising productivity, improving efficiency, and enabling the female half of the population to reach its full potential.3
Most developing countries are currently implementing complex processes to improve the efficiency, equity, and effectiveness of the health sector. Central elements of these reform programmes in the health sector include ensuring fairness, access, quality, and the social right to health protection.4 There is much debate, however, over the effect of health-sector reform on the most vulnerable segments of...