Strong health systems for maternal health in the sustainable development era

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-80
Author(s):  
Sophie Hermanns ◽  
Jean-Olivier Schmidt

Abstract Maternal health is one of the 169 targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While the SDGs are less focused on maternal health than their predecessors, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the SDGs’ commitments to multisectoral development, health systems, universal health coverage and equity could provide the foundations for sustainable advances in maternal health.

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 178-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Reddock

There is optimism that the inclusion of universal health coverage in the Sustainable Development Goals advances its prominence in global and national health policy. However, formulating indicators for Target 3.8 through the Inter-Agency Expert Group on Sustainable Development Indicators has been challenging. Achieving consensus on the conceptual and methodological aspects of universal health coverage is likely to take some time in multi-stakeholder fora compared with national efforts to select indicators.


Author(s):  
Y. S. Wong ◽  
P. Allotey ◽  
D. D. Reidpath

Universal health coverage is a key health target in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that has the means to link equitable social and economic development. As a concept firmly based on equity, it is widely accepted at international and national levels as important for populations to attain ‘health for all’ especially for marginalised groups. However, implementing universal coverage has been fraught with challenges and the increasing privatisation of health care provision adds to the challenge because it is being implemented in a health system that rests on a property regime that promotes inequality. This paper asks the question, ‘What does an equitable health system look like?’ rather than the usual ‘How do you make the existing health system more equitable?’ Using an ethnographic approach, the authors explored via interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation a health system that uses the commons approach such as which exists with indigenous peoples and found features that helped make the system intrinsically equitable. Based on these features, the paper proposes an alternative basis to organise universal health coverage that will better ensure equity in health systems and ultimately contribute to meeting the SDGs.


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