Women must not suffer in silence, it’s time to do more for their health
DALES MP Sarah Dines is fully behind a new health strategy for women – but warns that little will change unless they take the opportunity to speak up now
IN Parliament we are discussing women’s health – a topic I am particularly passionate about – and I am honoured to become the vice-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health.
The Women’s Health Strategy for England will set out an ambitious and positive new agenda on women’s health, with women’s voices at the front and centre.
The Government have launched a call for evidence from the public to inform the priorities, content and actions within the Women’s Health Strategy. This exercise will ensure that the strategy is evidence-based and reflects what women identify as priorities.
In the words of Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, for generations women have lived with a health and care system that is mostly designed by men, for men.
Women make up half the population and yet the ‘male by default’ approach to medicine has led to poorer advice and diagnosis and, as a result, possible worse outcomes for female patients.
Symptoms can often differ between men and women, and studies show some conditions, like coronary blockages, are more likely to be misdiagnosed among women than men.
Not enough is known about conditions that only affect women or how conditions that affect both sexes impact women in different ways.
Despite living longer than men, women spend a greater proportion of their lives in ill health and disability, and there are growing geographic inequalities in women’s life expectancy. This makes levelling up women’s health an imperative for us all and will support progress towards the Government’s commitment to extend healthy life expectancy by five years by 2035.
It is a fact that damaging taboos and stigmas still surround many areas of women’s health, which can prevent women from approaching health professionals when they need help and support.
In my view, to tackle taboos and ensure women’s voices are heard, we first must be willing to have the conversation.
Our young people must be given access to education on these topics and all ages must have access to high-quality information and care.
There are plenty of examples of conditions such as endometriosis taking years to diagnose and, in the meantime, women are sometimes told to just deal with the debilitating pain that condition can cause. This is not good enough.
Women play a vital role in all parts of our society. In the NHS, 77% of the workforce and 82% of the social care workforce are women.
Through this pandemic they have been on the frontline ensuring we all get the care we need.
We need to invest in all aspects of women’s health, including within the workplace, to enable women to reach their full potential and contribute to our communities. I have heard heart-breaking accounts from female constituents regarding the constant pain and ill-health they have been left with due to gynaecological surgical mesh surgery.
Sometimes these women are embarrassed to talk of their situation and my heart goes out to them.
Female health in all its aspects is important, not embarrassing and in some situations by having conversations and being open with our health issues as women, lives can be saved. That is why I am delighted that the Government are embarking on the first Women’s Health Strategy for England, with the ambition of improving health and wellbeing of women across the country. I encourage my constituents to take part in the consultation, which can be found online at consultations.dhsc.gov.uk/ talkwomenshealth.
When we have the confidence to talk about our health, our care and wellbeing improves.
I will be doing all I can to encourage education and open conversation on these issues, so that women are healthier and those in pain don’t suffer in silence.
There are plenty of examples of conditions women being told to just deal with pain. This is not good enough