WHO laments "shameful" lack of respect for women's right to good health
MANILA, 8 March 2010—The World Health Organization today labelled as "shameful" the fact that 90% of maternal deaths in the Western Pacific Region could be avoided if women's rights to good health were properly met.
WHO said that more than 100 women in the Region die from pregnancy-related deaths each day and, unless drastic measures are taken, the number of tragedies of this kind will continue to rise.
"It is shameful that despite the Region's rapid economic growth, a large—and growing—number of women are still excluded from the fruits of this progress," said Dr Shin Young-soo, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific. "Good health is a universal right, not a privilege. Taking on this issue will be at the top of our agenda in the Western Pacific."
Dr Shin issued the statement to mark International Women's Day—observed on 8 March—which brings into focus the situation of women around the world and the progress made to reduce gender inequalities. This year's theme, "Equal rights and opportunities—progress for all", provides an opportunity for countries to rededicate themselves to improving the status of women and promoting their right to good health.
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Governments not spending enough on health: WHO
MANILA, 3 March 2010—The World Health Organization (WHO) today called on governments across the Asia Pacific region to spend more on health in order to cut out-of-pocket health-care costs for the poor and vulnerable.
Outlining a new strategy designed to help reduce payments for medical care, Dr Shin Young-soo, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific, stressed that poverty and poor health are linked together in a downward spiral.
"When the poor fall sick, the cost of treatment – if they can afford it at all – often tips them further into hardship," said Dr Shin. "And when that happens, they are even more susceptible to ill-health. And the result of that is greater poverty."
Dr Shin said this was an especially acute problem in the Asia Pacific region, where out-of-pocket health-care costs are among the highest in the world. In some countries in the region, more than 60% of money spent on health care comes from the patient's pocket. By contrast, in Germany an average of just 13% of all medical expenses are borne by the patient, with the rest covered by social health insurance or by the Government.
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WHO links with Cambodia to tackle maternal deaths
Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 16 February 2010—With WHO's assistance, the Cambodian Ministry of Health has unveiled a first-of-its-kind health surveillance system that it is hoped will help to radically reduce the number of maternal deaths in the country.
The new system is built around a situation room in the capital, Phnom Penh, that will track data from around the country and for the first time give health officials full and real-time information on the number of women dying during pregnancy or childbirth, and where those deaths are occurring.
With the new system, coupled with improvements in the health system, the Cambodian Government says it is confident that it can now take steps to bring down the number of maternal deaths and accelerate the country's compliance with Millennium Development Goal 5, which calls for a reduction in maternal deaths by three-quarters between 1990 and 2015.
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