A consultation./Photo; Courtesy
For millions of women around the world, basic healthcare needs remain unmet at key stages of life from childbirth to menopause.
A new $215 million commitment from Melinda French Gates is aimed at addressing those gaps, with a strong focus on women in low- and middle-income countries, including across Africa.
The funding, announced through Pivotal, the organisation she founded, will support programmes and research designed to improve women’s health systems and access to care.
It brings her total investment in women’s health to more than $600 million over the past two years.
The initiative will focus on areas where women continue to face the greatest barriers, including maternal health, reproductive services, and midlife conditions such as menopause.
In many low-resource settings, services in these areas remain limited or unevenly distributed.
Women’s health continues to be significantly underfunded globally, despite persistent gaps in outcomes.
Studies show women spend an average of nine years in poor health during their lifetime, while only a small fraction of global medical research funding is directed toward conditions that affect them.
Through Pivotal Philanthropies, the funding will support organisations working to strengthen health systems and expand access to care.
This includes $10 million to The Menopause Society to train healthcare workers and improve access to menopause care in regions where services are limited or underdeveloped.
A further $40 million will go to Co-Impact to support locally led organisations working to integrate mental health services into maternal and primary healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries.
Olivia Leland, founder and CEO of Co-Impact, said the work is focused on strengthening local systems that women depend on.
“What makes this partnership powerful is a shared belief that lasting change comes from trusting local leaders and investing for the long term,” she said.
The initiative also includes support for research partnerships with Wellcome Leap, to accelerating progress in women’s health, including better diagnosis and treatment of conditions that have historically received limited scientific attention.
Regina E. Dugan, CEO of Wellcome Leap, said the funding is intended to speed up long-delayed progress in the field.
“Some of the biggest unanswered questions in women’s health have gone without serious attention for too long,” she said. “This work treats them as urgent and solvable.”
The programmes will be rolled out over the coming years, with additional initiatives expected through 2027.
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