How do programmes in general address gender issues in the health sector?
Women’s health concerns are mainly addressed in interventions on malaria, reproductive health, and HIV/AIDS in the four countries. Programmes tend to have a strong maternal bias, prioritizing service delivery to mothers or women of reproductive age. In contrast, health challenges falling outside of these three areas do not specifically address gender issues, such as men’s and women’s differential access to services. For instance, in Cameroon, pregnant women are a priority group in malaria and HIV/AIDS prevention. The Government aims for 60% of pregnant women to access prevention against malaria and has supplied free mosquito nets to pregnant women since 2005. The prevention of HIV/AIDS mother to child transmission is a key objective, through anti-retro viral prophylaxis, HIV counseling and detection. Similarly in Mozambique, women’s health concerns are mainly addressed in programmes addressing maternal mortality and HIV/AIDS. Health policy has a strong maternal focus, prioritizing serv
