women’s health collective canada calls for change amid upcoming election
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the whcc aims to “ensure equity, reduce disproportionate care, eliminate preventable illness, thus empowering women to fully live, work, and contribute to society and the economy” through their proposed policy actions.
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the upcoming election is bringing many canadian issues to the forefront, including women’s health. the largely underfunded and disregarded area of health has experienced a lack of dedication from policymakers, with women’s health research accounting for only 6.8 per cent of the national research funding.
since women make up roughly 50 per cent of the population, this financial allocation of research funds leaves half the population who require any form of healthcare, from diagnosis to treatment, subject to higher risks of adverse drug reactions, ineffective therapies and treatments, and harmful misdiagnoses.
the women’s health collective canada (whcc), the largest non-government funding source for women’s health research in canada, is vying to change that by calling on federal parties to commit to policy changes that can ensure women are no longer left behind when it comes to medical research, which will improve the faulty care they receive because of it.
a lack of research costs more in the long run, both financially and personally
with a lack of viable research comes ineffective treatments, or undertreatment of various diseases and conditions. as much as 70 per cent of patients who are seen with medically unexplained symptoms are women, leading to a significant gap in the understanding of women’s health and the afflictions they contend with.
menopause, for example, is highly under-researched, and because of that, when women reach that point in their lives, their options are limited. without adequate treatments and interventions, women are also at a higher risk of increased long-term health problems, including osteoporosis, heart disease, and a reduced quality of life.
according to the menopause foundation of canada, unmanaged menopause symptoms cost approximately $3.5 billion a year, which, if research were to catch up to where it should be, could be significantly reduced.
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regarding medications for various diseases, misdiagnosis, and ineffective treatments, women are also subject to a higher risk of all three at a rate of 75 per cent because they are often excluded from clinical trials. heart disease is another significant health condition that affects women, being considered the leading cause of death, and it continues to be underdiagnosed, leading to poorer health outcomes.
whcc’s policy recommendations for change
the whcc aims to “ensure equity, reduce disproportionate care, eliminate preventable illness, thus empowering women to fully live, work, and contribute to society and the economy” through their proposed policy actions.
they are asking all federal parties and leaders to consider the issues women face in the canadian healthcare system and make commitments that will “drive meaningful change.” in turn, canada can lead the charge in prioritizing women’s health globally and improve the lives of canadian women all in one shot.
their policy recommendations include establishing a national strategy for women’s health, which will set up new ways to address inequalities women face in an organized and results-driven way. this policy should include various areas of need, including research, healthcare delivery, and policy reform.
federal funding is currently lacking and included in the whcc’s call to action for policymakers. this lack of economic support leads to the issues seen today, such as significant gaps in knowledge regarding treatment and care, a lack of viable treatments for women, and poorer health outcomes. the whcc would like those in charge to create a fund that’s used directly for investment in research on conditions that primarily affect women.
lastly, the whcc calls for better enforcement of sex and gender-based research standards in federally funded health research, primarily due to the inconsistent and harmful model currently in place. with mandatory reporting on sex and gender differences as well as stronger enforcement of these standards, research regarding women’s health can improve, leading to a healthier canadian population.
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the whcc is dedicated to improving the health and lives of canadian women. if policymakers can begin to take their calls to action and the health of canadian women seriously, positive changes will occur that will “build a more equitable and prosperous canada.”
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