[An overview of maternal and child health policies in various countries]

Healthy mothers and children are essential to maintaining and expanding national prosperity. This article reviews maternal and child health policies in several countries, including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Norway, Denmark, Japan, Singapore, and Republic of Korea. Comparing and considering the policy experiences of different countries can provide references for designing and revising women's and children's health care policies in Taiwan. Secondary data used in this study were retrieved from a variety of resources including websites of the World Health Organization and various national governments, official publications, and articles related to women's and children's health. The life cycles of women and children embraces differing needs at different stages (e.g., preconception, pregnancy, postpartum, newborn, infant, and young adulthood). To meet these needs, a broad spectrum of policies offers different levels of coverage. Strengthened cooperation among agencies and with nongovernmental organizations is needed to achieve goals. This review showed that countries with greater achievements in women's and children's health focus on families and manage effective cooperation between departments to execute policies. The successes of such policies may be referenced by Taiwanese policymakers and government officials.