Reproductive health is a state of
complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity in all matters related to the reproductive system and its
functions and process.
In response to the persistently high
levels of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality and infection with the
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and by approving the programme of action of
the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD, 1994). Member
States of the African Region committed themselves to implementing the new
concept of reproductive health for the next 20years. Building on ongoing
programmes since Alma Ata (1978( and drawing upon the momentum gathered, the
ICPD gave a further impetus to reproductive and sexual rights as important
factors in development, and by endorsing the concept is centred on human needs
and development throughout the life cycle, i.e. from the womb until old age.
The definition of reproductive health
adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994
captures the essential characteristics that make reproductive and sexual health
unique compared to other fields of health. Reproductive health extends before
and beyond the years of reproduction, and is closely associated with
socio-cultural factors,
The adoption of these comprehensive
definitions at the International Conference on Population and Development
marked the beginning of a new era, and the achievements of the past decade are
many and profound. For example, the concept of reproductive and sexual health
and rights has, with few exceptions, been widely accepted and has begun to be
used by international health and development bodies, national governments, nongovernmental
organizations and other parties. New reproductive health policies and
programmes have been defined in almost all countries. Their adoption has
produced significant changes in some countries in the conventional modes of
delivering maternal and child health or family planning services.
Following this conceptualization of,
and commitment to, reproductive and sexual health, new partnerships have been
forged at national, regional and global levels. New evidence has also been
collected in previously neglected areas such as the burden of disease due to
reproductive and sexual ill-health and its relation to poverty, and
gender-based violence. The number of evidence based best practices in
reproductive and sexual health care has grown substantially, and the scope of
clinical and behavioural research and of internationally recognized standards,
norms and guidelines has broadened.
Experience has shown that, even in
low-income settings, innovative country-specific approaches can considerably
reduce maternal mortality and morbidity, for example. The challenge now is to
formulate innovative national strategies for making health services accessible
to the people in greatest need, such as adolescents and the poor, in order to
attain international goals.