🌟 Happy International Women's Day #IWD2024🌟
There are a lot of touching stories of success being shared across social media today. Let's celebrate this! ... but our work is not done!
Let's also remember that there is still a lot of work to be done to advance Women's Rights in #healthcare... and an onus on women leaders in healthcare to be advocates and leader toward health equity.
On this International Women's Day, let's take a moment to reflect on the crucial strides needed to promote women's rights in healthcare and address gender inequalities prevalent in medical science and patient care. 💜
In 2020, Angela H.E.M. Maas wrote an insightful article published in Maturitas (2020 Jun; 136: 22–24) called "Empower Women in Healthcare to move Women’s Health forward." Maas emphasizes that historically, medical science and patient care have predominantly focused on male patients, leading to delayed and sometimes misdiagnosed health issues in women. Her research findings indicate that despite women living longer, they experience more unhealthy years due to barriers in accessing quality healthcare services. Socio-cultural factors further compound these challenges, impacting women's health, wellbeing, and disease outcomes differently than men. Moreover, Maas underscores the disproportionate burden of non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular diseases (CVD) on women, exacerbated by gender disparities in healthcare access and treatment.
The article stresses the importance of gender equality and equal rights for women in healthcare leadership positions to address these disparities effectively. By empowering women in healthcare and recognizing the value of female values such as creativity, empathy, and mutual connection, we can elevate women's health on the global agenda.
This International Women's Day, let's commit to advocating for policies that prioritize gender equity and investing in comprehensive healthcare services for women, ensuring that every woman receives the quality care she deserves.
#InternationalWomensDay #GenderEquity #HealthcareForAll #womensrights
[Reference]
Maas, A. H. E. M. (2020). Empower Women in Healthcare to move Women’s Health forward. Maturitas, 136, 22–24. doi: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2020.04.001