Combining Our Strengths to Close the Gaps in Women’s Health

No one can tackle the pressing issue of better women's health alone. By working closely together, we can support holistic policies, generate adequate resources, and provide innovations to promote healthy and long lives for women. The solutions naturally vary in complexity and effort, and each one requires a precise analysis of the causes of poor healthcare and a tailored solution – because as we know, a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work.

Together with UNICEF, we are working in C?te d'Ivoire and neighboring Ghana to reduce the number of preventable maternal, newborn, and child deaths. To this end, we are supporting UNICEF in strengthening the infrastructure for laboratory analyses to diagnose common infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Since laboratories are often not situated near where patients live, especially in rural regions, long journeys and waiting times are the norm. Transporting samples is often difficult. To further complicate matters, the healthcare landscape in both countries is highly diverse – medical facilities are frequently private clinics, or sometimes run by faith-based organizations, NGOs, or the state health systems.

And this is where we come in. UNICEF’s data-driven program optimizes and expands the existing laboratory networks by working closely with health authorities. Our central question: Where should laboratories be located to diagnose as many people as possible in the shortest possible time and as close as possible to where they live?

To determine this, a national diagnostic network optimization analysis was conducted. Experts compiled maps of local population densities, travel routes, and the location of existing laboratory equipment. To optimize the situation, laboratories sometimes exchange equipment, one laboratory takes on additional tasks, or a new laboratory is created. The result is decentralized, more efficient networks that require patients to travel shorter distances and radically reduce the turnaround time for test results.

• For instance, in a pilot region in Ghana, the initiative was initially launched in five districts and expanded to 14 districts with our support. Today, results are sent within 48 hours rather than up to 90 days as in the past. It's a great step forward. A total of 408 laboratory experts and 82 hospital members were trained in the project.?
• Turnaround times for cervical cancer test results in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire are reduced from approximately two months to ten days, and for TB and HIV from 90 to five or fewer days.
• The number of facilities in C?te d’Ivoire serviced with an integrated sample transport system reaches a total of 223, already above the 2024 target (150). A digital system for monitoring transportation was installed to improve the cold chain for transport. This optimization of near-point-of-care diagnostics is a promising approach in regions with limited access to adequate laboratory diagnostics.

Although Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) has an amazing healthcare system, it is very difficult to reach women in the inner city due to economic, transportation, childcare, educational, and health insurance coverage issues. To improve this situation, the Pennsylvania Hospital Department of Radiology worked closely with us to develop a mobile screening unit. One highly successful location for stationing the truck was a grocery store parking lot since it drew a lot of extra foot traffic, in addition to the women who found out about the free screenings through their church. The partnership with the church and the overall community was a key factor in raising awareness about breast cancer and the importance of screening. Other success factors were providing Spanish translation services as well as transport for women to go to the screening truck with the help of a shuttle service. Our partner clinics provided radiology services, including reads and follow-up, while we provided the technologists to perform the screening exams. If needed, the patient is referred for the relevant treatment under this program. So far, our mobile screening program has provided 1,500 free mammography screenings to uninsured women in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and South Carolina, and more areas are targeted in the future. We are especially proud that the White House has honored our initiative.

I am proud to be a member of the board of the World Economic Forum’s?Global Alliance for Women’s Health (GAWH), a?multi-sector global platform?that?prioritizes, protects, and promotes?women’s health to?help?close the health gap.?Within?GAWH, Siemens Healthineers proudly?champions the?multi-stakeholder?Cervical and Breast Cancer Coalition. Breast and cervical cancer currently constitute over half the cancer burden for women in sub-Saharan Africa. The consortium plans to collaborate with the Ministry of Health of countries to develop initiatives that will accelerate their strategies to address cervical and breast cancer.?

Kenya, where cervical and breast cancer?are responsible for almost a third of all the annual cancer-related deaths, is the first country to collaborate with our consortium. We're mapping?the?many and diverse?activities?being taken nationwide?against both cancers to provide?transparency?and improve?the trajectory?for?reaching?the recommended targets of the?WHO.?Countless initiatives?are?underway?for?these?cancers, involving?companies, NGOs, private?foundations,?the government,?faith-based organizations,?and?clinics. This?multitude?can lead to?overlapping?efforts and a strain on the limited expertise. Transparency?will?help to identify gaps, avoid duplicated work, and highlight areas needing improvement and acceleration.?Following initial workshops,?actionable items?include?initiatives in capacity building,?financing, diagnostics,?screening, and treatment.?Our vision is?for Kenya?to become a lighthouse country to inspire others so that best practices can be replicated and scaled up in other countries and regions.

Pregnant women in coastal and rural regions of Colombia are disadvantaged in many respects. In collaboration with the Colombian Red Cross, Siemens and Siemens Healthineers equipped a bus with medical imaging systems, laboratory equipment, and other devices to bring basic healthcare services to those who aren’t able to reach doctors and clinics in the cities. The staff of around 30 employees now focuses entirely on providing health advice and care for pregnant women and their families. Migrants from Venezuela, who have increasingly been coming to Colombia, can also benefit from free access to medical check-ups and laboratory services.

Together with the City Cancer Challenge Foundation, we are working to enable more timely cancer diagnosis and treatment and increase survivorship for patients in low- and middle-income countries. The first projects, focusing on breast cancer, are underway in the Colombian city of Cali and Ghana’s second-biggest town Kumasi. The goal is to confirm a cancer diagnosis sooner so treatment can be initiated earlier, which can mean the difference between life and death. The foundation works with city stakeholders from the public and private sectors to improve access to cancer care from the ground up in low- and middle-income countries. It is currently conducting projects in 15 cities in the Americas, Africa, and Asia.

Our collaborations show that working with partners is key to improve women's health. We need carefully developed, tailor-made solutions to overcome today‘s challenges. This is a task for us all – the examples above illustrate what is possible.

In this series, you can also read the articles:

• Mind the Gap: Assessing Inequalities and Opportunities in Women’s Health
• Mind the Difference: How to Avoid Gender Bias in AI
• Beyond the Nobel: Small and Prized Ideas to Improve Women’s Health