Women face longer waits for NHS care than men, new data have revealed.
Women make up 57 per cent of the 7.36 million backlog and also face a disproportionately longer time waiting for a hospital appointment. At the end of June, 58.1 per cent of the 194,650 people waiting more than a year for treatment were women.
The new data shows the largest speciality for those on the waiting list aged 18-64 is gynaecology – 12 per cent of all 18 to 64-year-olds.
Prof Ranee Thakar, the president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said the new data was “a vital step in addressing the postcode lottery in gynaecology care”.
“At the moment, women in the most deprived areas face some of the longest waits, threatening to entrench existing health inequalities,” she said. “Delays can lead to a need for more complex treatment and significantly impact women’s health, well-being and daily lives.”
[Ed: It would be interesting to know if these stats are similar for the Australian Medicare system.]