Last month, Chamber and 50:50 Parliament hosted a ‘Welcome to Parliament’ event for newly elected MPs, focusing on women’s health. Several MPs, health professionals, and campaigners highlighted the current issues surrounding women’s health and the urgent need to address them.
This event was kindly sponsored by Bayer, a leader in both pharmaceuticals and agricultural solutions, which has a long-standing commitment to improving women’s health through innovation and advocacy.
In her keynote speech at the ‘Welcome to Parliament’ event, Janet Lindsay, CEO of Wellbeing of Women, highlighted the UK’s widening gender health gap and the urgent need for dedicated women’s health research. She called for increased investment, collaborative efforts, and policy changes to address the healthcare disparities that disproportionately affect women, particularly those from marginalised communities.
The Gender Health Gap
Janet Lindsay opened her speech by highlighting the significant gender health gap in the UK, which she described as the widest in the G20. She pointed out that women often face barriers in accessing healthcare, are dismissed when seeking help, and experience delayed diagnoses. “Women receive less effective treatments than men, and their pain isn’t taken seriously,” Lindsay noted, citing data that supports these claims.
The disparities are even more pronounced for women from diverse and marginalised communities. Lindsay mentioned that Black women are four times more likely to die in pregnancy and childbirth, while Asian women often receive late-stage diagnoses for ovarian cancer, limiting their treatment options. Additionally, disabled women struggle to access life-saving cervical cancer screenings. These examples underscore the intersectionality of healthcare inequalities, where race, disability, and gender combine to exacerbate poor health outcomes.
The Power of Collaboration
Lindsay stressed the importance of collaboration in tackling these issues. She praised the joint efforts between Wellbeing of Women and various partners, including MPs and other organisations, in driving change more quickly and efficiently. “When we work together, change happens more quickly and efficiently,” she asserted, urging the audience to continue raising these issues in Parliament and directly to ministers.
She cited successful collaborations that have led to significant advancements in women’s health, such as the development of the cervical screening brush tool and the schools vaccination programme against HPV, both funded by Wellbeing of Women. These initiatives have had a profound impact, yet Lindsay lamented that many women still struggle to access these essential services.
Investing in Women’s Health Research
A major theme of Lindsay’s speech was the critical need for increased investment in women’s health research. She pointed out that Wellbeing of Women is the only charity in the UK dedicated to funding research across the life course of women’s health. This research has been pivotal in areas such as cervical cancer prevention and early screening for endometriosis.
Lindsay made a strong appeal for research funding to be ring-fenced and for sufficient resources to be allocated to this area. “We all deserve it, and as we know, if we get it right for women, everybody benefits, including all the men in this room because we all have women in our lives,” she concluded.
A Call to Action
Lindsay’s speech was not just an exposition of the problems but a call to action for all present. She urged MPs to use their platform to advocate for shorter waiting times in women’s health and to ensure that healthcare professionals are adequately trained in the specific needs of women, particularly those from diverse backgrounds.
Final Thought
Janet Lindsay’s address at the ‘Welcome to Parliament’ event was a reminder of the ongoing challenges in women’s health and the critical role that policymakers, healthcare professionals, and organisations must play in closing the gender health gap.
Her call for collaboration and increased investment in research underscores the need for a collective effort to improve health outcomes for women across the UK. As Lindsay aptly put it, “When we work together, change happens more quickly and efficiently.” The responsibility now lies with Parliament to ensure that these changes become a reality, benefiting not just women, but society as a whole.
Bayer has provided sponsorship funding, which supported logistics and materials for this event. Chamber maintained complete editorial control for the event and outputs.
To watch the full video, please click below. To gain access to the other keynote speeches made at the event, please click here.