The fight against ‘medical misogyny’ is far from over | Women’s health

I welcome the relaunched women’s health strategy (Streeting relaunches women’s health strategy to tackle ‘medical misogyny’, April 14) but with caution. The system appears responsive, but the root causes of health inequities remain intact.

He cites pressing issues that many women have long faced: navigating the gynecology referral queue that would stretch more than 191 miles (if they waited in person), medical enlightenment, delayed diagnoses and systemic bias.

However, Wes Streeting’s tenacity to center all women’s “voices” and ensure that no woman struggles to be heard is unconvincing, especially when women of color have been crying out loud for years, with little to no change in our reproductive health outcomes.

Many of us know what that means: seeing a GP for severe period pain and trying to explain how it’s disrupting our lives. The doctor says it’s normal and prescribes the pill. About two decades later, after years of layoffs and gaslighting, this woman is diagnosed with the chronic illness she knew she had all along – that woman is me and thousands of others.

Ethnicity, culture, and access continue to determine who is believed, how quickly, and with what result. Without solving this problem, we risk reproducing the same inequalities they aim to solve. Femtech solutions can be innovative, but not inherently fair if only certain groups or founders are funded. Politics can drive change depending on who is in the seat and how they steer strategy in the right direction.

If Streeting really wants to “hit medical misogyny where it hurts”, then he needs to recognize that misogynoir is widespread and hurts ethnic minority women. Creating systems that are inclusive and reflect the diversity of women’s experiences is the best way forward.
Vanessa Haye
Chislehurst, Kent