https://arab.news/btfsd
I was shocked to read that only 1 percent of healthcare research and innovation worldwide is invested in female-specific conditions beyond oncology. This was highlighted in an announcement by the Gates Foundation last month, as it committed $2.5 billion through 2030 to accelerate research and development focused exclusively on women’s health because it remains chronically underfunded. So, I investigated this subject and the data is astounding.
In 2020, only 5 percent of global research and development funding was allocated to women’s health research. Four percent was for women’s cancer and the other 1 percent for all other women-specific health conditions — and, of that 1 percent, 25 percent was further limited to fertility research. This focus on fertility overlooks a broad range of health conditions that disproportionately affect women, including autoimmune diseases and depressive disorders, as well as conditions that present different symptoms in women than men, such as cardiovascular disease.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women globally, killing more women than all forms of cancer combined. This is often due to factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, unhealthy eating, smoking, lack of exercise or genetics, with risks increasing after menopause and during pregnancy.
