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trends of access to health in OIC countries by contrasting those with the corresponding trends outside
of OIC. In the next section we use this information as a backdrop to examine in more details the story
of access to health in OIC member countries.
3.3. Demand for health services and health outcomes in OIC member countries
As outlined in the conceptual model used in this work, an appreciation and assessment of the demand
for health care by OIC countries provides essential background information for a detailed discussion
on universal health coverage in these countries. Widely/routinely monitored indicators capture
information on demand for essential health-care services and health outcome. We selected life
expectancy at birth, under-5 mortality rate, and maternal mortality as indicators of demand for health
services.
Life expectancy at birth signifies how well a country’s health system is working in the provision of
preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative care maps most recent life expectancy data
for OIC countries. The map is clearly an illustration of the high level of observed variation in life
expectancy among the OIC countries; but it also illustrates that there may be geographic clusters or
country groups which share similar life expectancy levels. Dire levels of life expectancy in Sub-Saharan
Africa and favourable female life expectancy in the MENA region stands out also illustrates
an overall pattern where life expectancy of males in a country is always lower than that of females in
the same country. For example, while there are 11 OIC countries with female life expectancy less than
61 years there are 17 OIC countries with male life expectancy less than 61 years. In the other extreme
14 OIC countries have female life expectancy greater than 77 years while only 2 have male life
expectancy that high.