Global health inequalities are staggering. Restrictive gender norms and gender inequalities are replicated and reinforced in health systems, leading to poorer health outcomes for women and girls across the globe. A woman in Sierra Leone is 300-400 times more likely to die with each pregnancy than a woman in Europe.
Many health systems struggle to meet the needs of communities, particularly in relation to sexual and reproductive health. The Covid-19 pandemic, together with increases in the number and scale of humanitarian disasters, has put further pressure on systems that were already under huge strain.
What is CARE International doing to improve access to healthcare?
CARE's global health work focuses on four areas:
- Strengthening local health systems and community-based organisations
- Supporting marginalised groups to exercise their right to health
- Increasing access to quality health services, including sexual and reproductive health and rights services, in humanitarian and fragile settings
- Preparing and responding to public health emergency preparedness
Latest health news and stories
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World Health Day, Syria: “What I am witnessing as a doctor after the earthquakes is something I have never seen before”
Dr. Dima Um Nour, a gynaecologist working in northwest Syria, describes what she witnesses every day and how the devastating earthquakes have impacted her patients.
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Six months of conflict in Ukraine: Brutal mental health toll must not be overlooked
Since the escalation of war, more than 10 million women and children have been negatively impacted, with an estimated one third of Ukrainian refugees expected to develop depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorders. There is an urgent need to provide support to those suffering from ongoing war trauma now and in the months and years to come.
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Women like Karima need our help now
The conflict in Afghanistan is one of the world’s most complex and longstanding humanitarian crises. Like many other conflicts, it is disproportionately impacting women and girls. This is why we urgently need your help.