Background: Advancing gender equality and health equity are concurrent priorities of the Ethiopian health sector. While gender is regarded as an important determinant of health, there is a paucity of literature that considers the interface between how these two priorities are pursued. Objective: This article explores how government stakeholders understand gender issues (gender barriers and roles) in the promotion of maternal, newborn and child health equity in Ethiopia. Methods: Adopting an exploratory qualitative case study design, we conducted semistructured interviews with 17 purposively-selected stakeholders working in leadership positions with the Federal Ministry of Health and Federal Ministry of Women and Children Affairs as part of a larger study regarding the promotion of health equity in maternal, newborn and child health. A post hoc content and thematic sub-analysis was done to explore how participants raised gender issues in conversations about health equity. Results: Efforts to address gender inequalities were synonymous with the promotion of a women's health agenda, which was largely oriented towards promoting health service use. Men were predominant decision makers with regards to women's health and health care seeking in both public and private spheres. Participants reported persisting gender-related barriers to health stemming from traditional gender roles, and noted the increased inclusion of women in the health workforce since the introduction of the Health Extension Program. Conclusions: The framing of gender as a women's health issue, advanced through patriarchal structures, does little to elevate the status of women, or promote power differentials that contribute to health inequity. Encouraging leadership roles for women as health decision makers and redressing certain gender-based norms, attitudes, practices and discrimination are possible ways forward in re-orienting gender equality efforts to align with the promotion of health equity. ARTICLE HISTORY
Background: Immunization coverage in Pakistan is unequally distributed. Understanding the current status of reporting of immunization coverage inequalities in Pakistan can help to identify gaps and opportunities for strengthened monitoring and reporting. Aims: To assess the published literature on immunization coverage inequality measurement and reporting in Pakistan. Methods: We performed a literature search in PubMed in April 2019 to obtain articles reporting inequalities in immunization coverage in Pakistan. A data extraction rubric was applied to collate information about data sources, immunization indicators and dimensions of inequality. Results: We included 42 studies in our analysis. Most studies reported data from household surveys or research studies. Dimensions of inequality reflected geography (primarily provinces/territories), economic status, place of residence, education level, sex and occupation. District-level comparisons were featured in 5 studies that were subnational in scope. Conclusions: Expanded monitoring at district level is warranted as a major way forward in characterizing immunization inequalities in Pakistan
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