IAMANEH and the new concept of reproductive health

Prof. Hubbert De Watteville, first Secretary General and founder of the Int ernational Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetricians (FIGO), created th e International Association for Maternal and Neonatal Health (IAMANEH) in 1 977, after realizing that the improvements in, maternal and neonatal health observed in developed countries were not benefiting the so-called Third Wo rld. The purpose of IAMANEH was to stimulate local associations to take ini tiatives to improve the health of the women and their children. Lack of att ention to women's own health has been characteristic of the emphasis on ant enatal care to protect the newborn or family planning to reduce demographic growth, with little attention to the needs of women themselves. The evolut ion to the more comprehensive concepts of reproductive health has been slow and moved by a few visionaries in the Obstetrics and Gynecology establishm ent and by the women's rights movement. Currently, the concept has been acc epted at world conferences, such as those of Cairo (1994) and Beijing (1995 ). Brazil officially incorporated an even wider concept of Comprehensive Wo men's Health Care, originated at the State University of Campinas and forma lly adopted by the Federal Government in 1984. It was placed in practice in the state of Sao Paulo between 1987 and 1990, showing important improvemen ts in the quantity and quality of services provided to women. (C) 1998 Inte rnational Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.