UK Health Secretary Says NHS Has 'Problem with Basic Sexism' as New Women's Health Strategy Launches

Health Secretary Wes Streeting launched a renewed Women's Health Strategy on Tuesday, acknowledging that the NHS has deep problems with how it treats female patients.

Streeting said the health service is 'failing women and girls on even the most basic measures of healthcare' and has a 'problem with basic, everyday sexism.' The new strategy is designed to address what he called these 'injustices' in the system.

The announcement comes as many women continue to report being dismissed, ignored, or having their symptoms minimized by healthcare providers. A recent survey of gynecologists found that 80 percent acknowledged problems in how women are treated in the NHS.

One health official said the government has 'heard loud and clear that historically, collectively, women have not been heard' and promised the new strategy would ensure women's voices are prioritized. However, she admitted this would be 'quite challenging in the current system.'

The strategy aims to tackle what officials describe as 'medical misogyny' that has contributed to longer waiting times and worse health outcomes for women compared to men.