Reproductive Health Care for Women and Babies

The formulation of health-care policies takes place in a climate of constant pressure and conflicting priorities: from physicians, administrators, insurance companies, legislators, and not least the patients themselves. Not surprisingly, there is often considerable disparity between the provision of health care for women, and what women want for themselves. However, few - if any - texts have concentrated on the ethical, economic, and health issues which need to be understood before cogent health policies can be developed. At a time when these issues are increasingly receiving attention not only from public-health experts, but also from politicians, pressure groups, and the media, Reproductive health care for women and babies addresses all the medical and social aspects of health care that contribute to the formulation of health-care policy for women. This book will allow physicians and women to go beyond diagnosis and treatment to take a broader view of their role in the health service and make an informed contribution to health service planning, while providing administrators and policy-makers with the background information they need. For anybody involved in providing health care for women, this book is essential reading.