Work

The challenges for women’s health in sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons learned from an integrative multistakeholder workshop in Gabon

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: T he sub-Saharan African (SSA) region is home to more than 230 million females of reproductive age who face multiple intersecting health, social, gender and economic challenges [1].Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of chronic disabling, almost exclusively communicable diseases affecting the poorest of the poor, especially in Africa, which alone bears about 40% of the global burden of NTDs [2][3][4].While both men and women are impacted, biological and sociocultural biases mean that NTDs disproportionately affect women and girls [5].In recent decades, there has been a global shift from communicable toward non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which cause almost 32 million deaths in low-and lower-middle-income countries (LMIC) [6].It is expected that by 2030, 85% of NCD-related deaths among women will occur in LMICs, including many countries of SSA region [7].For women older than 50, NCDs are the leading cause of both death and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) [8].Important disparities persist in access to maternal and reproductive health services both within and between countries in SSA [9]; it is estimated that almost half of the women in SSA do not have access to essential health care during pregnancy and childbirth.In 2017, SSA accounted for roughly two-thirds of all maternal deaths in the world [10].Hence, it is evident that many, if not most, women and girls in SSA carry a triple burden of vulnerability to NTDs, NCDs and poor reproductive health outcomes.Here, we report on the outcomes of an integrative, multistakeholder workshop held in Gabon, Central Africa, to help develop a framework for synergistic, sustainable and gender-and context-appropriate interventions to manage the NTD-NCD complex and additionally reproductive health.

Source: Journal of Global Health

DOI: 10.7189/jogh.11.02002