ObjectivesThis paper assesses inequalities in access to reproductive and maternal health services among females affected by forced displacement and sexual and gender-based violence in conflict settings in Colombia. This was accomplished through the following approaches: first, we assessed the gaps and gradients in three selected reproductive and maternal health care services. Second, we analyzed the patterns of inequalities in reproductive and maternal health care services and changes over time. And finally, we identified challenges and strategies for reaching girls and women who are the hardest to reach in conflict settings, in order to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage and to contribute to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals of good health and well-being and gender equality by 2030.MethodsThree types of data were required: data about health outcomes (relating to rates of females affected by conflict), information about reproductive and maternal health care services to provide a social dimension to unmask inequalities (unmet needs in family planning, antenatal care and skilled births attendance); and data on the female population. Data sources used include the National Information System for Social Protection, the National Registry of Victims, the National Administrative Department of Statistics, and Demographic Health Survey at three specific time points: 2005, 2010 and 2015. We estimated the slope index of inequality to express absolute inequality (gaps) and the concentration index to expresses relative inequality (gradients), and to understand whether inequality was eliminated over time.ResultsOur findings show that even though absolute health care service-related inequalities dropped over time, relative inequalities worsened or remain unchanged. All summary measures still indicated the existence of inequalities as well as common patterns. Our findings suggest that there is a pattern of marginal exclusion and incremental patterns of inequality in the reproductive and maternal health care service provided to female affected by armed conflict.ConclusionsOverall, the effects of conflict continue to threaten reproductive and maternal health in Colombia, impeding progress towards the realization of universal health care (UHC) and reinforcing already-existing inequities. Key messages and steps forward include the need to understand the two distinct patterns of inequalities identified in this study in order to prompt improved general policy responses. Addressing unmet needs in reproductive and maternal health requires supporting gender equality and prioritizing the girls and women in regions with the highest rates of victims of armed conflict, with the objective of leaving no girl or woman behind. This analysis represents the first attempt to analyze coverage-related inequality in reproductive and maternal health care services for female affected by armed conflict in Colombia. As the World Health Organization and global health systems leaders call for more inclusive engagement, this approac...

Simple craniosynostosis is a cranial deformity that occurs secondary to a premature closure of one or more sutures, with a consequent alteration in cranial growth and cerebral expansion. The cranial alteration presents as flattening parallel to the compromised suture, with compensatory bulging in a perpendicular vector. The surgical treatment consists in cranial decompressions with suturectomies and simultaneous cranioplasties. Dynamic multiple revolution osteotomies allow the design of bone flaps that can help with decompression and correct secondary deformities caused by the synostosis. This multicenter descriptive case series study assessed 52 patients (12 plagiocephaly, 29 scaphocephaly, 7 brachycephaly and 4 trigonocephaly) operated in Cali, Colombia. In each case, suturectomy and telescoping with multiple revolution cranial osteotomies were designed to correct each particular deformity. No clinical complications were observed in the postoperative period (1, 90, and 180 days), and excellent outcomes with no re ossification of sutures and maintenance of the cranioplasty, based on clinical observation and findings in the 3D reconstruction scans.

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