Limited access to care that disproportionately affects women and children is one of the biggest global healthcare challenges. This challenge cannot be rectified without first addressing the fact that women are not well-represented in healthcare decision-making, John Flannery, president and CEO of Little Chalfont, United Kingdom-based GE Healthcare writes in a LinkedIn blog post.
"Only 38 percent of the top global health jobs are held by women. While women contribute $3 trillion to the global healthcare industry, nearly half of their work is unpaid," Mr. Flannery noted.
GE is making strides to try and overcome this issue. In India, Tata Trusts and GE Healthcare announced they will train 10,000 young people in several technical areas of healthcare, and the companies are aiming to ensure that 50 percent of the trainees are women. These women gain a profession and enter the workforce, and they will also help India increase access to quality care. The commitment is part of GE's $1 billion effort to train healthcare technology professionals worldwide.
"No matter where any of us fall in our role within healthcare, let's ensure we have an equal representation of women in the jobs that have the ability to impact the world," writes Mr. Flannery.
A majority of industries do not have equal representation of women at the top rungs, but in healthcare there is an opportunity to "do well while doing good" for humanity.