About this Research Topic
Contrary to developed Western countries, women’s health, especially maternal health, in most regions of the global south is part of the unfinished agenda as stated in the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals Report 2015, missing the set targets for Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health. As of 2015, some of the highest maternal mortality ratio were in West Africa, recorded as 1,360 per 100,000 live births in Sierra Leone, 814 in Nigeria. and 725 in Liberia, whereas Western countries usually stay between 5 and 10. Therefore the subsequent Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of 2015 directly and indirectly embrace solutions for maternal mortality as a health priority.
The most relevant upstream determinants of poor maternal health are unreliable transport on roads, insufficient electricity, and lack of connectivity for online communication. On site, it includes lack of qualified and motivated health staff and regulated continuing professional training, as well as technical equipment, its maintenance, and regularly controlled stocks of essential drugs.
There is an abundance of actors, statistics, and financial support systems, but these are usually uncoordinated, beyond the control of national governments, and remain deficient based on the indicators for monitoring the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (2011). Rarely, action-oriented strategies along the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-related) objectives are available and women are usually under-represented in higher education and especially postgraduate public health training, as well as in political decision making. Coordination has been attempted by systems like SWAP (Sector-Wide Approach), CBPF (Country-Based Pooled Funds), and priority partnerships like with the USAID or the European Union. Additionally, certification of NGOs has been proposed, as well as the establishment of separate midwifery chambers. Despite these solutions, the situation of women in the South has not been substantially improved.
Given that more research is needed to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals for maternal health, especially SDG 3 in 2030, we welcome authors to submit articles on the following topics and related issues:
• The disease burden for women
• Women’s health literacy
• Postgraduate education for public health
• Women’s leadership
• Health strategies
• Maternal and child health
• Midwifery training
• Healthcare coordination and control systems (pool funding, etc.)
• Universal health coverage
• Gap analyses of the achievement of stated objectives (national, SDGs)
• The role of major donor countries, the European Union, and international banks
• Financial support systems
• The role of NGOs
• The South-North brain-drain
• Trends in women’s health and capacity of specified services
• Advocacy for women’s health
The most relevant upstream determinants of poor maternal health are unreliable transport on roads, insufficient electricity, and lack of connectivity for online communication. On site, it includes lack of qualified and motivated health staff and regulated continuing professional training, as well as technical equipment, its maintenance, and regularly controlled stocks of essential drugs.
There is an abundance of actors, statistics, and financial support systems, but these are usually uncoordinated, beyond the control of national governments, and remain deficient based on the indicators for monitoring the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (2011). Rarely, action-oriented strategies along the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-related) objectives are available and women are usually under-represented in higher education and especially postgraduate public health training, as well as in political decision making. Coordination has been attempted by systems like SWAP (Sector-Wide Approach), CBPF (Country-Based Pooled Funds), and priority partnerships like with the USAID or the European Union. Additionally, certification of NGOs has been proposed, as well as the establishment of separate midwifery chambers. Despite these solutions, the situation of women in the South has not been substantially improved.
Given that more research is needed to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals for maternal health, especially SDG 3 in 2030, we welcome authors to submit articles on the following topics and related issues:
• The disease burden for women
• Women’s health literacy
• Postgraduate education for public health
• Women’s leadership
• Health strategies
• Maternal and child health
• Midwifery training
• Healthcare coordination and control systems (pool funding, etc.)
• Universal health coverage
• Gap analyses of the achievement of stated objectives (national, SDGs)
• The role of major donor countries, the European Union, and international banks
• Financial support systems
• The role of NGOs
• The South-North brain-drain
• Trends in women’s health and capacity of specified services
• Advocacy for women’s health
Keywords: maternal and child health, public health policy, burden of disease, health services, women leadership
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