This Week in Healthcare: OpenAI, Water.org & WHO Foundation

OpenAI's ChatGPT Health: Changing the Face of Patient Care?

Health and wellness are among the primary reasons people use artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots.

According to OpenAI, more than 230 million users ask health-related questions weekly.

The company has now launched ChatGPT Health, a feature integrating personal medical information with artificial intelligence support.

This tool introduces additional protections for sensitive medical data while remaining accessible.

Water.org, Amazon & Ecolab: Driving Safe Water Sanitation

Today, nearly a quarter of the global population – approximately 2.1 billion people – currently lack access to safe water, while 3.4 billion people are without access to safe sanitation.

Contaminated water and poor sanitation are linked to the transmission of many diseases, including cholera, dysentery and diarrhoea.

To help tackle this crisis, Water.org has announced 'Get Blue' in Davos, as part of the World Economic Forum's 2026 Annual Meeting.

The initiative aligns with Davos' "blue thread" theme, which emphasises the vital role water ecosystems play in global trade and livelihoods.

OpenAI: How AI Can Transform Clinical Workflows

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI maintains a leadership style defined by urgency, competitive paranoia and long-term conviction, a strategy that could show how OpenAI transitioned from a research laboratory into a primary force in consumer AI and a growing enterprise participant.

The CEO operates with the belief that scale is vital in early stages and that products, rather than models alone, establish a lasting advantage. This philosophy suggests that success requires continuous reinvention even when a company holds a leading market position. This approach is visible in the OpenAI for Healthcare initiative, announced on 8 January, which provides a perspective on how Altman views the upcoming growth phase for the organisation.

Who are the New Senior Leaders at Allianz Partners Health?

Allianz Partners is a global leader in B2B2C solutions that span international health and life, travel insurance, mobility and assistance.

With a presence in more than 70 countries worldwide, the company handles more than 72.9 million cases each year.

Allianz Partners has announced four new senior appointments in its Health line of business, with the goal of driving growth across key global markets.

Colgate-Palmolive & WHO Foundation: Oral Health Education

Oral diseases are among the most prevalent and overlooked noncommunicable diseases in the world, impacting 3.7 billion people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

To help solve this growing problem, Colgate-Palmolive has announced a multi-year collaboration with the WHO Foundation to support the WHO’s work on oral health.

The funding will help expand oral health education and raise awareness of oral diseases.