ASIA-PACIFIC: As women continue to face significant health disparities, analysts are calling on hospitals and governments to address the growing healthcare gap that hinders women’s well-being and economic participation. Women tend to face delayed treatments and higher misdiagnosis rates, limiting their potential both in terms of health and economic productivity.
The hidden health burden on women
Despite women’s higher healthcare-seeking behaviours, they spend, on average, a quarter more of their lives in poor health compared to men. According to Shyam Bishen, head of health and healthcare at the World Economic Forum (WEF), featured in an article published by Healthcare Asia Magazine, this trend is often due to women receiving less evidence-based care for the same conditions as men. This inequity leads to delays, additional healthcare costs, and significant stress for women.
Bishen emphasized the need for hospitals to invest in the proper infrastructure and training to ensure that women’s conditions, which are often overlooked, are given the attention they deserve. Addressing this gap could add seven healthy days to each woman’s life per year—a change that, throughout a lifetime, could amount to more than 500 extra days of vitality and participation in the workforce.
Economic benefits of prioritizing women’s health
The economic implications of improving women’s healthcare are significant. A report by WEF and McKinsey & Company projected that by 2040, better investment in women’s health could boost the global economy by $1 trillion annually. Focusing on conditions like coronary heart disease, maternal health issues, and women-specific cancers alone could contribute approximately $400 billion to the global GDP.
Bishen stressed the importance of sex-specific training programs in healthcare to ensure women receive equal treatment. He also pointed to countries like Sweden and Denmark, where equitable healthcare models have been successfully implemented, offering lessons for others to follow.
A collaborative approach to tackling healthcare inequities
In the Asia-Pacific region, countries like Singapore, Japan, Australia, China, and South Korea are well-positioned to lead in addressing the gender health gap. With advancements in medical research and digital health technologies, these nations could pioneer in the field of femtech; the growing industry focused on women’s health.
Shin Thant Aung of YCP Solidiance highlighted Singapore’s regulatory incentives and funding opportunities for femtech startups and pharmaceutical research as an example of how nations can lead the charge. Meanwhile, innovations in precision medicine, such as genomics and AI-driven diagnostics, hold the potential to offer personalized treatments for conditions like breast cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
Governments also have a vital role to play in addressing these disparities. Jin Wang, senior partner at McKinsey in Shenzhen, China, emphasized the importance of collecting sex-disaggregated data in clinical trials to better understand how health conditions affect men and women differently; however, only 5% of clinical trial reports currently include separate data for women and men, a gap largely attributed to gender bias and stereotypes within the research field.
By investing in policies, education, and international collaboration, both public and private sectors can help close the healthcare gap for women, making strides toward more equitable, inclusive healthcare systems.
