Several political parties remain unconvinced by Health Minister Sophie Hermans’ newly presented plan to improve women’s health. Although the ministry published its national work agenda on Thursday, critics say the proposal lacks the funding and concrete actions needed to make a real impact.
Lisa Vliegenthart (PRO) and Sarah Dobbe argue that the plan sets ambitions but offers too few steps to achieve them. They point out that the agenda calls for better recognition of women’s health complaints and more research focused specifically on women, but without allocating additional money.
Concerns
According to the ministry, existing budgets should be sufficient. But Vliegenthart and Dobbe disagree, saying that meaningful progress requires new investment. Vliegenthart notes that improving women’s health could save society billions in the long term, while Dobbe cites an estimated €7.6 billion in potential annual benefits. Both parties plan to submit proposals to strengthen the strategy and secure more funding. “This is one of my highest priorities”, Vliegenthart said.
It matters
Doctors still misdiagnose women more often than men, and women spend fewer years in good health. One major reason is that decades of medical and pharmaceutical research were based primarily on male bodies, leaving gaps in knowledge about how diseases present in women.
@anp | NEWSBRAINPORT
