Call for urgent global action on women’s health research

Women’s health is being neglected by researchers, prompting calls for urgent action to address major gaps in care across both high- and low-income countries.

Dr Anita Zaidi, president of the Gates Foundation’s gender equality division, said a lack of research is holding back progress in tackling common but often overlooked conditions.

She pointed to innovations ranging from smartphone ultrasound devices to low-cost tools that reduce deaths from post-birth bleeding.

 Dr Zaidi said: “From an R&D perspective, it’s been one of the most neglected areas in global health. It’s neglected not just in global health but also in rich countries,”

“Women’s health has just been ignored.”

Giving birth can carry high risks, she added, and maternal health remains under-researched.

The Gates Foundation has identified major research gaps, including in endometriosis, malnutrition and pre-eclampsia.

She highlighted Kenya’s KENSHE study, which led Ireland to adopt a one-dose HPV vaccine schedule – down from the previous three doses – showing how findings in lower-income countries can influence global health policy.

Dr Zaidi urged governments not to cut funding for research, as the US and UK scale back investment.

“We have made so many advances in women’s health, especially in R&D, so now not to have the funding available to scale them really bothers me,” she said.

One project funded by the foundation, involving 200,000 women, found that guidelines for post-partum haemorrhage – a major cause of maternal death – need revision.

Current protocols, including in Ireland, define blood loss of 500ml in 24 hours as mild, but the study suggests care should begin at 300ml.

Dr Zaidi said: “You put it under the mum, with a calibrated sleeve at the end of it so all the blood is captured in there.

“And once they used that sheet and a bundled approach it was so impactful. There was a 60 per cent decrease in severe post-partum haemorrhage.

“The other thing that they realised is the 500ml cut-off is too high, it should be 300ml.

“So now we know we should be treating post-partum haemorrhage when there’s more than 300ml blood loss and we have to act quickly.

“If you could do that, you will save hundreds of thousands of women’s lives.”

Other innovations include AI-powered ultrasound probes that attach to smartphones and cost around 20 times less than conventional machines, allowing midwives in remote areas to assess patients and prioritise care.

She said: “In Sudan, let’s say, where one midwife may be taking care of 100 women, this helps you triage who really needs help the most.”

The device has been described as “a game-changer”, though broader funding is still needed.

She also referenced the Irish Examiner’s recent women’s health survey, which highlighted further gaps in research and care.

The foundation is committing €316m each year from 2023 to 2027 to maternal, newborn and child health.

Bill Gates has pledged to give away 99 per cent of his wealth over two decades, with the foundation set to close in 2045.

Dr Zaidi said: “It’s enough time if we plan for it in the right way, and this is why we wanted to give enough notice.

“For the many of the innovations I’ve been talking about, they can be done in the next 10 to 15 years, but some will need a hand-off.”