The Women’s Health Development Unit (WHDU) was established in 2000 and is located within School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, on the Kelantan Health Campus, as the first of its kind in any medical faculties in the country. The Pioneer Coordinator for this unit is Prof Datin Dr Rashidah Shuib from 2000 - 2005. Now she was seconded to Women’s Development Research Centre (KANITA) in USM Penang. The position has been replaced by Associate Professor Siti Hawa Ali from School of Health Sciences since May 2005. Beginning of 1st July 2007, Dr Zaharah Sulaiman has taken over the unit as a new coordinator. End of November 2009, Associate Professor Dr Nik Hazlina Nik Hussain, an Obstetrician & Gynaecologist has taken over the unit as a new Coordinator. The vision of the WHDU is to be the centre of excellence in the development and promotion of gender and women’s health issues based on a life-span, holistic approach, viewing women’s health using the gender perspective within the rights framework. The establishment of the Unit was propelled by strong advocacy work on women’s health, particularly on reproductive and sexual health, both at the international and national levels. International conferences such as the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD, 1994) and the Fourth World Conference on Women (FCWC, 1995) expressed explicitly the need to look at women’s health beyond the biomedical framework. It is argued that women’s health issues involved many socio-economic and cultural factors which are not addressed by the bio-medical model. The Unit was established based on the realization that unless we face the complex realities in our society, women’s health will not be properly and adequately addressed. Hence, the Unit has taken the stand to advocate for gender and rights framework to be the guiding framework in health in general and women’s health specifically. There are women’s health problems which are unique to women but there are also those problems which affect both men and women yet with different implications to both.
