Author bio: Mallika Auplish is a global health professional with over a decade of experience in policy, financing, and innovation. She has worked with the World Bank, WHO, CIHR, the UN Secretariat, Vital Strategies and Bloomberg Philanthropies to mobilize investments, shape health policies, and drive innovative solutions to improve healthcare access and outcomes.
Global divide
Access to healthcare remains a distant dream for millions of women. In 2020, an estimated 287,000 women died from pregnancy-related complications, with 95% occurring in low-resource settings. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the situation, causing a 38.6% increase in maternal mortality across 118 low- and middle-income countries. Despite the critical role of maternal health in public health and economic stability, it remains severely underfunded. AI and innovative financing are emerging as key tools to revolutionize women’s healthcare in these regions. Women in low-resource settings face numerous barriers: geographic isolation, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, and financial obstacles. The WHO predicts a shortage of 10 million health workers by 2030, primarily in low- and middle-income countries, threatening access to quality care further.
AI solutions for women’s health
AI offers tremendous potential to overcome barriers by delivering innovative healthcare services.
- Early diagnosis and screening AI tools, such as VisualDx, analyze smartphone photographs to detect cervical cancer with accuracy comparable to specialists, enabling early diagnosis in underserved areas.
- Remote monitoring and telehealth Platforms like Babyl in Rwanda provide health risk assessments, blood pressure tracking, and prenatal testing through chatbots, allowing real-time monitoring and predicting adverse events during pregnancy.
- Precision medicine and workforce support AI-powered tools, like DoctorAI, create personalized health plans and assist community health workers by enhancing diagnostic accuracy and care delivery in remote settings.
Scaling solutions via smart financing
While AI is transforming healthcare delivery, scaling these innovations requires strong financial backing to ensure they reach the most underserved populations.
- Blended financing models The Global Financing Facility (GFF) for Women, Children, and Adolescents unites governments, donors, and private investors to drive large-scale health interventions across more than 30 countries. By pooling resources, GFF amplifies funding impact, expanding access to essential maternal and child health services.
- Impact bonds and outcome-based financing Development impact bonds, such as India’s Utkrisht Development Impact Bond, incentivize investors by linking returns to measurable health outcomes. These bonds drive accountability and ensure that investments lead directly to improvements in maternal and newborn health.
- Investments in women’s health ETFs Financial innovations like Portfolia’s FemTech Fund provide targeted investments in companies developing cutting-edge health solutions for women. These funds help funnel capital into female-focused health innovations, promoting advances in areas like reproductive health, fertility, and preventive care.
Synergies between AI and innovative financing
The combination of AI and innovative financing mechanisms holds immense potential:
- Investing in AI for women’s health Development impact bonds and blended financing models can fund AI-driven healthcare solutions, such as maternal health monitoring systems in rural areas.
- Public-Private Partnerships Collaborations between governments, the private sector, and international organizations can drive large-scale implementations of mobile health programs, enhancing maternal health education and care access in remote regions.
- Sustainability AI-powered telemedicine platforms have revolutionized access to healthcare. Partnerships like the one between the government and Babyl made healthcare accessible to over 90% of the population via mobile phones, reducing travel times and healthcare costs while improving maternal health outcomes.
Key areas for action and investment
- Invest in digital infrastructure and AI-friendly frameworks Prioritize investments in digital infrastructure to support AI-driven healthcare, particularly in underserved areas. Simultaneously, create regulatory frameworks that foster innovation while ensuring patient safety and data privacy.
- Promote AI research and collaborations Facilitate collaborations between governments, tech companies, and healthcare providers to accelerate AI solutions for women’s health. Allocate funding and incentives for research institutions and private companies to develop AI tools targeting women’s health challenges.
- Integrate AI into healthcare education and expand financing mechanisms Update medical curricula to include AI training, preparing healthcare professionals to leverage these technologies. Implement policies encouraging innovative financing, such as blended finance, impact bonds, and health ETFs, to support women’s health.
- Ensure equitable access Develop strategies to ensure AI-driven healthcare solutions reach marginalized populations, addressing digital divides and improving access to care in underserved regions.
Closing the women’s health gap could generate $1 trillion in economic gains by 2040, reinforcing the importance of AI-driven solutions and innovative financing.
The intersection of AI and innovative financing presents an unprecedented opportunity to address long-standing challenges in women’s health, especially in low-resource settings. By acting now, stakeholders can ensure every woman, regardless of her location or economic status, has access to life-saving healthcare. As AI evolves and financing mechanisms become more sophisticated, we stand on the brink of a healthcare revolution—one that can deliver better outcomes for millions of women worldwide.
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