World Health Organization, Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean 2013 The availability of health care services does not guarantee that they will be optimally used by patients. Untimely use of health services and inadequate health seeking behaviour contribute to negative health outcomes for men and women. In part due to social norms, health seeking patterns are often different for men and women. Awareness of gender influenced health seeking patterns is a key component of gender responsive health service delivery and essential to enhance timely and appropriate use of health services by both women and men. This policy ...