Team Blitz India
From tackling menstrual problems, maternity care and birth trauma to supporting domestic and sexual abuse victims, the UK Government has outlined Women’s Health Strategy for 2024, according to a statement from the Department of Health and Social Care.
Speaking at the Women’s Health Summit in London to mark the second year of the Strategy, Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said it would also prioritise improving maternity care and support for mothers who suffer birth trauma.
This follows a raft of successes over the strategy’s first 12 months, including reducing the cost of Hormone Replacement Therapy for nearly half a million women, and the rollout of specialist women’s health hubs in every local health area.
The strategy also championed the creation of a new dedicated women’s health section of the NHS website, providing updated information, advice and practical resources for women’s health across the life course.
It was noted that although women in the UK on an average live longer than men, they spend a significantly greater proportion of their lives in ill health and disability when compared with men.
The 2024 priorities were developed from responses to the government’s call for evidence from over 100,000 healthcare professionals, women’s health champions, members of the public and other stakeholders across the health sector.
Among these are better care for menstrual and gynaecological conditions, expanding women’s health hubs, tackling disparities and improving support for vulnerable women including victims of sexual abuse and violence by ensuring training and support systems are working collaboratively and efficiently.
It also includes bolstering maternity care, before, during and after pregnancy. Through the first ever National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) ‘Challenge’, backed by £50 million, researchers, policymakers, and women will be tasked with finding new ways to tackle maternity disparities.
“In addition to the NIHR ‘Challenge’, added the statement, “we are building on the £53 million invested via the NIHR programmes and will continue to improve how women are represented in medical research through its Research Inclusion Strategy.”
