Gender MainstreamingIN THE HEALTH SECTOR

MOZAMBIQUE

Responding to the changing context in International Health: Opportunities and Challenges for Gender Mainstreaming

Agenda

• Where are we?• Main Health Problems• Strategies to Ensure Gender Responsiveness and Increased Resources for women • Capacities needed to Equitable Development Results• Q&A

• Illiteracy rate and protective role of education• Coverage of health services• Quality of health care services• Accessibility to health care

Where are We?

• PARP (Action Plan for Poverty Reduction)

• National Gender Policy and Implementation Strategies

• National Action Plan on the Advancement of Women

• Health Sector Strategic Plan

• Strategies for Gender Equality in the Health Sector (incl. Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting)

Where are We?

• Men – Die earlier, – High risk behaviour– Anti social behaviour– Violence and trauma (work accident, car crash)– Alcohol and smoking related diseases , e.g. lung

and hepatic cancer

Main Health Problems

• Women – Live longer – 1/3 of deaths related to sexual and reproductive

role:oHigh maternal mortality rate, fistula ...oHigh rates of STI/HIV/AIDS–Malaria– Tuberculosis– Depression , anxiety (violence)

Main Health Problems

• Situation analysis• Research– Gender and health equity at community level– Constraints faced by women in the health workforce– Male involvement in SRH

• Policy and Program development– Women health– Safe motherhood– Human Resources Development– Gender based violence

Strategies to Ensure Gender Responsiveness and Increased Resources for women

Strategies to Ensure Gender Responsiveness and Increased Resources for women

• Human ResourcesoTraining on Gender: • Curricula review, • Health planners and • Health care providers

oReshaping of the human resources pyramidoNew policies on vehicle drivers, security personnel

and quota on students enrolment on paramedical schools

Strategies to Ensure Gender Responsiveness and Increased Resources for women

• Processes:• SWAP–Working Groups on Gender • Different levels including on Health• Identification of entry points for gendermainstreaming• Advocacy

• Capacity building on G responsiveness– Planners– Programme managers of the entire Ministry

(Central level)

Strategies to Ensure Gender Responsiveness and Increased Resources for women

• Processes:• Identification of gender gaps at service

delivery– SRH (maternal mortality, STI/HIV and AIDS)– Communicable diseases (Malaria, Tuberculosis)–Non Communicable diseases (violence, trauma,

diabetes, hypertension, mental disorders)

• Identification of women’s health diseases– Cervix and breast cancer

Strategies to Ensure Gender Responsiveness and Increased Resources for women

• Processes:• Identification of gender gaps at health work

force– Careers–Managers – Leadership

• Role of the Ministry of Planning and Development

Capacities needed to Equitable Development Results

• Gender Gender Planning and budgeting

• The exercise showed the shortcomings of the systems

• Health information system– Data partially disaggregated by sex (HR, STI/

HIV/AIDS)– Under review

• Top down bottom-up

1. Slow process 3. Changes to be made simultaneously at

different levels4. Understanding the constraints on providers

and working with them to effect improvements in services• Low morale and motivation• Poor communication between management and

providers

Main Challenges

4. Development of tools for empowering people• Build a bottom-up quality assurance, through a

participatory process• Ask community members in their homes ‘the likes

and dislikes’ of the local health centre

Main Challenges

Main Challenges

5. Long term challenges• Institutionalization: strong commitment is not

enough• Gender awareness• Women’s issues/ gender issues

Opportunities

• Political commitment• Multi-sectorial approach (Coordinated by

Ministry of Women and Social Action)• Development of Gender Machinery• Definition of priorities to enable a focus• Interactions with NGOs and other partners

(SWAP, etc.)

Thank you.

Q&A