Stop sexism in the NHS

Earlier last week, the government announced that doctors in England will undergo mandatory training in order to better treat female medical conditions. This move is part of the NHS’s latest move to improve women’s health; it hopes to see an increase in funding for mobile breast cancer screening and an increase in access to fertility treatments.

Credit: Maciek Musialek

By: Derry Salter.

In England, women live on average four years longer than men, but spend more of their life in poor health. Gynaecology waiting lists are at an all time high as the gender gap in treatment continues to grow.

 

In Spring 2021, the government called for evidence from academics, campaigners and the general public to collect views on women’s health. The report concluded that there is a general lack of understanding among a preponderance of medical professionals about health conditions that only affect women. After interviewing 100,000 women, the report asserted that 80% found that the NHS do not listen to them; this is most predominant in cases surrounding puberty, fertility, menopause and old age.

 

To combat this, beginning in the 2024/25 academic year, mandatory teaching and women’s health specific assessments will be introduced for all training medical students. These students will now take exams on menopause and common gynaecological disorders that often go undiagnosed or even uncared about in women. The government also plan to update guidance around the treatment of severe endometriosis, which affects one in ten women and goes undiagnosed a majority of the time. In a momentous move for grieving mothers, the government will also introduce a pregnancy loss certificate providing legal recognition when a baby dies within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy.

 

The new ten-year-plan will also see IVF undergo major changes as couples considering the treatment can now compare their local NHS services to other parts of the country. In a triumph for the LGBTQIA+ community, female same-sex couples will no longer have to pay for artificial insemination if they are having difficulty conceiving. However, many continue to scrutinise the poor IVF treatment across England, which many are dubbing the ‘Postcode Lottery’.

 

Sarah Norcross, director of the fertility charity PET, called the move ‘incredibtly disappointing’ after learning that IVF treatment across England will not be forced to maintain the same standards.

Despite several critiques of the new changes with demands that more is needed to tackle the problem of gender inequality, the government remain confident in their doings. Health Secretary Steve Barclay worked closely with Health Minister Maria Caulfield to ‘right the wrongs’ of the gender health gap and ‘end the stigmas which reinforce beliefs that female health problems or painful symptoms are something to be endured’

Engage Britain’s Health and Care Programme Director Miriam Levin welcomed all the new steps to tackle inequalities in health care, but highlighted that the government must listen to women throughout this change. Engage Britain continues to highlight how doctors fail to treat men and women equally, and often dismiss the latter’s health problems.  Over the past five years, 26% of women have failed to get the support needed when visiting the doctors – for men this figure is only 17%. Consistently, medical research refers to the male as the default patient, meaning all education, trials and training is based around the male gender, which has led to wide gaps in data and understanding.

Despite women making up 51% of the population, the world lives in an environment designed by men and for men; perhaps the world of health care will be the first to tackle this medical misogyny.