Sexual and reproductive health and rights
Policy portal
Self-care interventions data
Currently 3.6 billion people – half of the world – lack access to essential health services.
WHO recommends self-care interventions for every country and economic setting, as a critical path to reach universal health coverage, promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.
Self-care is the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health worker.
Self-care interventions are evidence-based, quality tools that support self care. They include medicines, counselling, diagnostics and/or digital technologies which can be accessed fully or partially outside of formal health services. Depending on the
intervention, they can be used with or without health workers.
Self-care interventions can:
- advance primary health care;
- increase agency, autonomy and empowerment of individuals and communities regarding their health and well-being;
- strengthen national institutions with efficient use of domestic resources for health.
Introduction and scale-up of self-care interventions for SRHR should be guided by the principles of human rights, gender equality and provided within an enabling environment as noted in the WHO framework for self-care interventions.
The information on this site provides (1) the latest data on SRHR at health system, policy and service delivery levels, (2) recent national policy guidance, and (3) links to WHO resources that can support stakeholders in their efforts to promote and deliver self-care interventions.
For questions or more information, please contact sis@who.int.