Prioritizing investments in women’s and children’s health in Asia and the Pacific

Overview

In the pursuit to take forward the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health and accelerate progress toward Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 in Asia and the Pacific, there is ample evidence on what should be done and why investments in reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) are, or should be, national priorities (PMNCH, 2011). However, there is scant evidence on best practice approaches to prioritizing the investment in RMNCH and implementation of health system strategies to improve the health of women and children.

In decentralized systems, which make up the vast majority in the Asia and Pacific region, prioritization usually takes place at different political and administrative levels. Decision-making on the content of the benefits package, that is, which health interventions may be financed with public monies, are usually taken at national level. The difficult task of deciding how to deliver the benefits package, that is, the actual mix of providers (public and private), programs, resources, and strategies, usually rests on the shoulders of subnational authorities. However, scarce evidence exists to guide subnational authorities in prioritization of resource allocation and programs to meet national goals.