While significant progress has been made in improving the lives of women and girls over the past two decades, far too often addressing “women’s health” in low- and middle-income countries is still equated to improving their reproductive health. In reality, women’s health needs are diverse and span the entire spectrum of universal health care.
Expanding on the work of the nine-volume Disease Control Priorities, 3rd edition, the DCP-Gender project examined how the essential packages of services and policies defined by DCP3 can improve the health and well-being of women and girls living in low- and middle-income countries.
Three new DCP-Gender briefs include policy recommendations that are cost-effective and feasible in low-resource settings on:
- Cardiovascular Disease and Diabetes in Women
- Improving Women’s Mental Health
- Priorities for Adolescent Health
As the world shifts toward a more holistic vision of health in the era of the Sustainable Development Goals, it is time to expand the focus of the women’s health community to address the full range of disease burden they experience.