1、Photo by Marc Tan Kearney,SingaporeCardiovascular health inequity for women in the Asia Pacific regionThe Asia Pacific region is home to more than 60 percent of the worlds 8 billion inhabitants,yet there is a scarcity of data pertaining to womens health and the burden of gender inequality in the reg

2、ion.Despite contributing to half of the population,womens health is seen as niche.Important gaps exist in our understanding of factors that distinguish womens health and outcomes across Asia Pacific countries.Globally,women and girls experience worse outcomes at all points of the healthcare value ch

3、ain.In the Asia Pacific countries,social determinants of health adversely affect women,leading to substantial economic costs.We believe it will take business,finance,government,and non-governmental organizations collaborating and leveraging their capabilities and resources to address the womens heal

4、th gap in the Asia Pacific region.Simply scaling up existing healthcare systems will not be enough to attain gender health parity and reach those most in need;it will require new innovative and sustainable approaches.Creating equity in health will improve healthcare and health outcomes for everyone,

5、not just for women.Improvements in global health have been widespread but not equal.In the Asia Pacific region,accessing healthcare has become easier in 27 countries over the past decade,but women in rural,low-income households still have difficulty obtaining care because of distance and financial i

6、mpediments.1 The global economic impact of health inequities is significant.Closing the womens health gap could add at least$1 trillion annually to the world economy by 2040.2 In Europe,socioeconomic inequality is estimated to cost approximately 1.4 percent of GDP every year,which is higher than the