Women health needs scarce
By CHARLES MUSONDA
AN inaugural global women’s health index has revealed that women’s health needs are not being met globally.
This is according to results released by Hologic Inc, a global leader in women’s health, based on responses from 120,000 total individuals surveyed.
The report states that the global score was 54 out of 100 on the index and no one country or territory scored more than 69.
It says notably, 40 percent of those surveyed – equating to about a billion women and girls – said they had not talked to a healthcare professional in the last year, while approximately 60 percent- about 1.5 billion – were not tested for four common diseases that affect women’s health.
Hologic chairman and president Steve MacMillan said women’s health is the cornerstone of families, communities, societies and economies.
Mr. MacMillan said as a leader in the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of women’s health issues, Hologic knows firsthand that measurement is the key to improvement.
“We saw a clear need for more robust, quality data to track and measure women’s health on a global level -particularly as COVID-19 has worsened longstanding healthcare disparities. The Hologic global women’s health index is the first global survey that uniquely draws from women’s perspectives to determine priorities,” Mr. MacMillan said.
The report said the Hologic global women’s health index provides an actionable, science-backed data roadmap for improving life expectancy and quality of life for women and girls worldwide.
It said to help countries and territories determine a strategy for ensuring a healthy future for women, the index identifies five dimensions of women’s health that explain more than 80% of women’s average life expectancy at birth: preventive care, opinions of health and safety, emotional health, individual health, and basic needs.
“In line with critical UN Sustainable Development Goals and the UN General Assembly theme of ‘Building Resilience through Hope,’ we urge global healthcare and government leaders to use this data and the five dimensions to guide the development of actionable and measurable plans and investments that prioritize women’s health,” Mr. MacMillan said
