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Women's Health Crisis: Canada Urged to Prioritize National Strategy
15 Nov
Summary
- IWK Foundation calls for national women's health chair and renewed strategy
- Survey of 27,000 women reveals systemic bias in healthcare system
- Only 7% of health research in Canada focuses on women's unique needs
In November 2025, the IWK Foundation, which supports the IWK Hospital in Halifax, is calling on the Canadian government to establish a national chair dedicated to women's health. According to Jennifer Gillivan, the foundation's president and CEO, Canada has not had a national strategy focused on women's health since 1999, leaving the country far behind internationally.
Gillivan says the current healthcare system has been designed with the assumption that the "male is the standard norm and the female is atypical." To better understand women's perspectives, the foundation conducted a survey earlier this year that received an overwhelming 27,000 responses, far exceeding their initial target of 2,000. The survey findings have prompted the foundation to release a report with new national recommendations, including the creation of a women's health chair and a 10-year investment into the issue.
The data reveals that women's health research accounts for only 7% of total health research in Canada. Gillivan cites alarming statistics, such as women experiencing 75% of all adverse drug reactions and being twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. She emphasizes that women's health encompasses a wide range of issues, from brain health and cancer to heart disease, and can no longer be ignored.
