Women and Health in the Western Pacific Region: Remaining Challenges and New Opportunities

This report deals with women’s health in the Western Pacific Region. It shows that women and girls have particular health needs that remain invisible and little understood and that health systems are failing them. The report attempts to pull together currently available information to undertake an epidemiological analysis of mortality and morbidity patterns and causes, risk factors and access to health services for women in the Western Pacific Region. Many of the conclusions reached are based on datasets available from a limited number of countries. Despite these limitations, the analysis sheds light on some major health concerns that need to be urgently addressed if girls and women in the Region are to realise their human right to health and, by extension, their economic and social rights. The report is organised in 7 chapters. The introductory chapter highlights salient features of women’s health status and their underlying social and socioeconomic determinants. Chapters 2-6 assess the health of girls and women in the Region at different stages in a women’s lifespan. Chapter 7 summarizes the main findings and discusses strategic policy directions and health system reforms needed to address the health need and concerns of women.