The Gates Foundation has committed $2.5 billion by 2030 to women's health, especially in areas that have been overlooked for far too long.
On Monday, August 4, Bill Gates, calling for a change, noted, "Women's health continues to be ignored, underfunded and sidelined. Too many women still die from preventable causes or live in poor health."
The amount is around one-third more than the Foundation spent on women's and maternal health research and development over the last five years.
Furthermore, this is among the first major commitments since Gates revealed earlier this year that he would donate his $200 billion fortune by 2045.
The work will observe under-researched areas that affect hundreds of millions of women in both high- and low-income countries, from preeclampsia and gestational diabetes to heavy menstrual bleeding, menopause, and endometriosis.
Investment will focus on five key areas: obstetric care and maternal immunisation; gynaecological and menstrual health; contraceptive innovation; maternal health and nutrition; and sexually transmitted infection.
The aim is to kickstart research, develop products, and ensure equitable access to them worldwide.
Moreover, the Foundation's head of gender equality, Dr Anita Zaidi, shared that the field had been held back in part because of bias and a lack of data on key issues, such as how drugs cross into the uterus.
