News item | 08-03-2024 | 07:00
More research needs to be done into female-specific conditions. That is why Minister Pia Dijkstra (Medical Care) is today calling on healthcare parties to actively work on this. She also makes an extra financial boost available for additional research into health problems that only women face. With this money, ZonMw can set up a knowledge program for research into, for example, pelvic floor problems, cycle disorders and endometriosis.
Minister Dijkstra: “If you consider that we have more than 8.8 million women in our country, and that almost every woman has to deal with such a condition, it is incomprehensible that there is so little knowledge about this. And without this knowledge we cannot properly treat these conditions. We can no longer look away from this. Because a women’s problem is everyone’s problem.”
Report “Social acceptance of female-specific conditions”
On the initiative of the Dutch Association for Obstetrics and Gynecology (NVOG) and Women Inc. and research was carried out on behalf of ZonMw into the social acceptance of female-specific conditions. The authors of the report express their concerns about “the curtain of women’s ailments” that conceals a hidden reality: the impact of female-specific conditions appears to be much greater than previously known. The research shows that female-specific conditions are common and have a major impact on quality of life. In addition, it turned out that these conditions have a major influence on absenteeism and the associated costs and cause high healthcare costs. There is insufficient attention and research on this theme.
Together with healthcare providers
The NVOG report calls for more attention to be paid to women-specific conditions, because they have a major impact on healthcare and society. If women encounter the conditions mentioned in the report at least once in their lives, it seems logical that more research should be done into this. That is why Minister Dijkstra calls on healthcare providers to conduct more research into health complaints in women. This can be done, for example, by using the academic care availability contribution.
Minister Dijkstra, in turn, is making additional financial resources available to set up a knowledge program for women-specific disorders. The knowledge program must provide a knowledge agenda and a contribution to a national strategy for women’s health. The program also offers scope for further research and support into female-specific conditions. The parties that contributed to the report will be involved in the design of this knowledge program. Dijkstra will also discuss this with other departments. There is a shared responsibility to ensure that women receive appropriate care and support.