Organon Urges Women In The Region To Prioritize Their Health This International Women’s Day

Global healthcare companyOrganon yesterday announced the launch of its “We Believe in Her” regional campaign to mark International Women’s Day –a day used each year to raise awareness of and address gender inequity. The announcement was made during Organon’s “Future of Women’s Health in the Region” reception and networking event that was held at the Dubai Exhibition Centre at EXPO 2020.

Dr. Nada Al Marzouqi, Director of Public Health, Ministry of Health and Prevention,followed with her remarks. The event was also attended by H.E.Hind Mubarak Al Zaabi,Executive Director of Healthcare Facilities,at the Department of Health-Abu Dhabi; Robert Clark, United States Commissioner General;Mazen Altaruti, Organon President LAMERA, delivered a keynote speech at the beginning of the event, and Ramy Koussa, Associate Vice President of Organon MENAT announced Organon’s initiatives for the International Women’s Day in the region.

Organon’s “We Believe in Her” campaign is designed to urge women to prioritize their health. Globally, a 2015 survey reported that a staggering 78% of women say they usually put their own healthcare needs aside, such as scheduling doctor’s appointments, to focus on taking care of their family and other priorities – and COVID-19 has exacerbated this situation¹.

During the event, Organon also launched the Wall of Voices global report. The report contains insights and perspectives from women around the world, stemming from the company’s commitment, which it announced at its establishment in June 2021, to listen to women and address their unmet health needs. Also announced is the launch of a digital platform in MENAT to ensure that Organon continues to listen to the voices of women across the region and works towards creating collaborative solutions suited to the region.

This launch comes on the back of Organon’s previous announcement of its International Women’s Day initiative as part of its commitment to tackle inequity in healthcare. On March 8^th, the company will give its 9,500 employees worldwide paid time off to attend to their health needs and the health needs of the women in their lives. Organon calls on fellow businesses and organizations to join in creating initiatives that enable women to prioritize their health.

Remarking on the launch of the report, Kevin Ali said, “One of the earliest actions we took as a company was to invite women to share their voices and tell us which of their healthcare needs have gone unmet. We created this Wall of Voices report, born out of this simple yet powerful act of listening, which includes women’s insights and perspectives and serves as a call to action. It is clear there is much work to be done to meet the health needs of women.”

He added, “By launching the report across the region and making the digital platform available in Arabic, we will continue to better understand the health needs of women across the region. We will also continue to use these findings to guide our work to help us prioritize how we will meet women’s healthcare needs in MENAT.”

Mr. Robert Clark, United States Commissioner General, Expo 2020, added, “Today’s event represents a very special commitment towards women across the region, increasing collaboration and improving human health.  American ingenuity leads to expanded access to women’s healthcare across the globe, helping us all better understand the existing gaps in order to explore potential solutions.”

Dr. Nada Al Marzouqi, Director of Public Health, Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), who also presented at the event, added, “Achieving gender equality and empowering women is a core priority for the UAE’s leadership. Over the last few years, women across the country have achieved many great things, but to support their full participation in the nation’s economy, we must support their health. Organon’s mission to advance women’s healthcare is an important one for the future success of our nation, and we welcome their efforts.”

H.E. Dr. Hind Al Zaabi, Executive Director of Healthcare Facilities, Department of Health, Abu Dhabi: “We are proud to be here today in support of this International Women’s Day celebration organized by Organon, honoring those who strive to make a difference every day and highlighting that Abu Dhabi’s healthcare sector continues to place women’s health and their wellbeing as a top priority. We will continue to ensure providing the community with access to comprehensive world-class healthcare services and adopting the latest innovations and technologies that aim to support women’s healthcare while collaborating with local and international partners to exchange experience in further improving the health of women.”

Ramy Koussa, Associate Vice President of Organon MENAT, added, “This year, we decided to celebrate International Women’s Day to pause, reflect and strengthen our commitment to women’s health, launching the ‘We Believe in Her” campaign to support her choices and give her the time to prioritize her health. Launching our herhealth platform in MENAT will also pave the way for us to better understand the challenges that women in this particular region face, and address those, to create a better and healthier every day for every woman.”