“The $1 Trillion Case for Women’s Health,” a high-level roundtable convened by Burjeel Holdings, has called for called for a comprehensive approach to addressing the global women’s health gap.
Towards this, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States led a group of global leaders from healthcare, investment, philanthropy, and government in calling for greater investment in scalable, integrated models of women’s healthcare during the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
Ambassador Reema Bandar Al-Saud said: “It begins with knowledge and prevention. It begins with creating an environment where women feel comfortable speaking about their health and asking for the care they need. But today, that conversation has to go much further. We have to invest in women everywhere. Women’s physical and mental health and overall well-being are interconnected, and our approach to care has to be, too. No nation can ask half of its people to contribute to its future and then leave their healthcare to chance.”
Global women’s health gap could exceed $1 trillion annually
The World Economic Forum estimates the economic and clinical impact of the global women’s health gap could exceed $1 trillion annually by 2040 if left unaddressed.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health has designated women's health a strategic national priority under Vision 2030, describing it as "a national development asset and a direct investment in the health of future generations." The Ministry runs early-detection programs for breast and cervical cancer alongside broader reproductive health and wellness initiatives spanning every stage of a woman's life, from adolescence through post-menopause.
These national programmes are already showing measurable results. The Ministry of Health's Saudi Global Health Report shows maternal mortality has continued to decline, falling to an estimated 7.4 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023, while skilled health personnel now attend 99.6% of births nationally. Cervical cancer screening among women aged 30 to 49 remains an area of focus, with the Ministry and private providers working to expand early-detection coverage as part of the kingdom's broader preventive-care push.
Targeted investments
Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, Chairman and CEO of Burjeel Holdings, continued the discussion with 23 leaders spanning health systems, investment, philanthropy, and multilateral organisations. He highlighted how Burjeel Holdings’ clinical experience demonstrates the potential of targeted investment in women’s healthcare to drive scalable and meaningful impact.
The Group also previewed collaborative initiatives under development in Saudi Arabia, including an integrated model for women’s health delivery that could be adapted for other markets, including across Africa and the wider Global South.
“Women’s health has been under-researched, underfunded, and too often treated as episodic rather than lifelong,” said Dr Vayalil during his opening remarks. “Prevention is key, alongside diagnostics, cardiovascular health, cancer, reproductive health, menopause, midlife care, and so much more. Any model implemented needs to be evidence-based, culturally relevant, with trusted, measurable success. Only then will progress be seen.”
Khadija Rejto, Chair of Global Health at the Atria Research and Global health Institute emphasised this point, saying: “Investors have long treated women’s health as a niche despite it being one of the fastest growing sectors in the world.”
As conversation continued, participants discussed three critical requirements for closing the women’s health gap: a sustained investment in women's health systems, broader adoption of technology across care delivery, and new models of care with a demonstrated record of results.—TradeArabia News Service
