Women’s Health
Our programme addressing women’s surgical needs in maternal health, cervical cancer and breast cancer.
Photo by Frank Kimaro
The GSF Women’s Health Programme prioritises the following areas to address women’s surgical needs and to catalyse meaningful and sustained impact: Maternal Health, Cervical Cancer, and Breast Cancer.
Safe, timely, and appropriate caesarean section SAVES LIVES, preventing 100,000 maternal deaths (over 30%) and reducing newborn deaths by 30-70% annually.
Maternal health
Timely, appropriate surgical care for breast cancer SAVES LIVES, addressing a gap in care for the most common cancer globally that kills 1 in 3 women diagnosed with it.
Breast cancer
Early stage surgical care for cervical cancer SAVES LIVES, addressing a gap that kills 1 woman every 2 minutes globally.
Cervical cancer
Our mission
To improve the health of women, families, and communities in low- and middle-income countries by accelerating access to innovative, practical, evidence-based, and sustainable safe surgery programs.
Our targets
Maternal health
>30%
reduction in
institutional maternal deaths
Breast cancer
80%
of women
undergo multimodality treatment
without abandonment
Cervical cancer
90%
of women
identified with cervical cancer disease receive treatment and care
Our approach
Catalysing meaningful impact for women and communities.
We focus on locally led, locally driven programs that address local priorities and gender equality, prioritising a comprehensive approach:
Partnerships
Workforce capacity development
Strengthening networks of care and referral systems
Integrating innovative approaches and digital tech to bridge gaps
Use of data for continuous learning, adapting, and generating evidence
Ensuring facility readiness
Women’s health projects we support
We fund and accompany local partners to deliver locally led, women-centred projects that improve the health and well-being of women and their newborns.
KENYA
Nakuru County
Safe, timely and respectful caesarean care for over 25,000 women giving birth each year across five facilities in Nakuru County.
NIGERIA
Kano State
Safe, timely and respectful caesarean care for over 27,000 women giving birth each year in Kano State.
NEPAL
Koshi Province
Reducing deaths and complications linked to caesarean section for mothers and newborns in Koshi Province.
RWANDA
Breast cancer surgery
Improving outcomes for women with breast cancer in Rwanda through better training, patient navigation and data systems, as part of our breast cancer programme.
PREVIOUS PROJECT
C-Safe
Developing, implementing and evaluating a strategy to reduce maternal and newborn deaths and complications following caesarean section in low- and middle-income countries.
Where we work
Women are dying due to insufficient access to surgical care. We can and must change this.
Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
GSF Board Member | Former UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women | Former Deputy-President of South Africa
Our Women’s Health team
Working to make surgical care available to all women.
Dr. Mélanie Samson
Programme Lead, Women’s Health
Dr. Jean Chamberlain
Clinical Lead, Women’s Health
Shagun Tuli
Fellow
Prof. Hadiza Galadanci
GSF Advisor, Women’s Health
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Bayero University Kano
Dr. Kusum Thapa
GSF Advisor, Women’s Health
President Elect SAFOG (South Asian Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
Dr. Sara Nasser
GSF Advisor, Women’s Health
Charite Comprehensive Cancer Center
Prof. Rahel Nardos
GSF Advisor, Women’s Health
Professor, Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery
Director of Global Women's Health, Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility
Lawal-Aiyedun R. Olubunmi
GSF Advisor, Perioperative Nursing in Women’s Health
Immediate Past President of the National Association of Nigerian Paediatric Nurses
News and updates
Latest updates from our women’s health programme.
Be part of our mission.
Sign up with your email in the website footer below to receive updates. And get in touch with our women’s health team at m.samson@globalsurgeryfoundation.org.