One challenge Sustainable Finance aims to solve is the advancement of women's health. Sustainable finance and women's health have profound implications in fostering global health equity, empowering women, and advancing socio-economic development. It's important to understand the connection between sustainable finance and women's health;
· Sustainable finance is any form of financial service that integrates environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria into its business or investment decisions. Its underlying objective is to promote long-term environmental sustainability and social welfare.
· Women's health encompasses various issues, from reproductive health to non-communicable diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Addressing these health challenges requires financial investment, especially in developing countries lacking health infrastructure.
Sustainable finance encompasses various initiatives, including improving access to quality healthcare services, research and development (R&D) for women-specific health issues, training health professionals, and strengthening gender-responsive health systems. Through strategically investing in women's health, sustainable finance is making progress in promoting gender equality by enhancing the health and well-being of women across the globe.
In terms of access to quality healthcare services, sustainable finance also supports the following:
· Enhancement and expansion of healthcare infrastructure
· Biotech and pharmaceutical research
· Ensuring services cater to a woman’s knowledge or experience needs.
· Paying for health facility upgrades
· Purchasing medical equipment
· Establishing mobile clinics in hard-to-reach areas.
· Providing emergency healthcare services
· Advancing maternal healthcare.
· Breast and cervical cancer research
· Reproductive health research
Sustainable finance also plays a vital role in fostering health literacy among women. Through funding public health education programs, health awareness camps, and digital platforms, women now have information to help them make more informed health decisions. Through education, women become aware of preventative measures, early detection, and treatment options available for various health conditions. Education has also improved women's understanding of the importance of seeking timely care.
Sustainable finance's role in advancing women's health is a powerful tool that may accelerate the journey toward an equitable, inclusive, and healthy global society.