Brussels,30/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - Cancer, alcoholism, smoking, drugs, bad health, depression, suicidal tendencies are some of the example that bear witness to the inequality between men and women in terms of public health and as a consequences impact on the costs imposed on social security by prevention, treatment and follow-up for these conditions. In order to discuss this, the Chair of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality, Anna Zaborska (EPP-ED, Slovakia), organised, this Wednesday 30 March in Brussels, a public hearing on the theme “The impact of gender Differences in the matter of public health,” which is currently the subject of a own initiative report whose author is the vice-president of the parliamentary committee Eva-Britt Svensson (GUE/NGL, Sweden).
“Issues of gender and health are closely links. Women make greater use of health care services and men have more serious illnesses because they are reticent in seeing a doctor,” commented Bernard Markel, Head of the European Commission's “Health Strategy” Unit (DG SANCO). The Commission “tried to act on the basis of information, to develop best practices in terms of health at the European level and to ensure that information on diseases can be analysed according to gender,” he said. “Many medicines are based on trials which mainly concern men and very few elderly persons or children. Thus there is a tendency to have a reduction effect on certain treatments,” noted Mr Merkel. He also recalled that the Commission introduced an initiative to improve the information available in terms of smoking, alcoholism, mental health and pregnancy interruption “which affects women differently to men.” Mr Merkel announced that, following the consultation launched last summer by Commissioner David Byrne and entitled “allowing everybody to be healthy,” the Commission will launch in the coming months its new health programme” and will focus on member state health systems.
Introducing the works, Mme Svensson underlined the link between women's health and their socioeconomic and psychological condition, and called for data to differentiate between the sexes at EU level. Dr.Martine Gouello, responsible for EU relations at the French 'Caisse nationale d'assurance maladie des travailleurs salaries' (national workers insurance fund), asserted that “to fight against the main risk factors and the pathogens that affect women” (such as breast cancer, alcoholism, smoking, drugs, bad health, mental illnesses, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, obesity), it is necessary to have a global approach that includes a preventative aspect and a curative aspect. It is necessary to “reduce inequalities in society through social justice measures”, she argued. Inequality between men and women can also be seen in the context of dermatological care and their cost, stated Ingrid Osika (University of Linkoping, Sweden) when presenting to the Stockholm Advisory Committee her study on unequal treatment in the case of psoriasis. Dr. Nina-Ecaterini Calva Mylona (University of Athens) emphasised the fact the “women have more badly paid jobs, are more affected by unemployment and poverty, live under stress and lack professional recognition.” As for Dr. Margaretha Lööf-Johanson (Swedish researcher), she explained that “women must have the feeling that their life has meaning, that they are entitled to economic autonomy, access to education and a stable job.”
This study, but also the need to have reliable data in terms of public health at the EU level, the greater health risks for women as well as their social protection led to many questions notably from MEPs Angelika Niebler (EPP-ED, Germany), Eva-Britt Svenssson, Marta Vincenzi (ESP, Italy) and Maria Panayotopoulos (EPP-ED, Greece). The problem of youth behaviour and alcohol intrigued Anna Hedh (ESP, Sweden). “Violence against women has disastrous consequences in both economic and health terms, especially from the psychological point of view, which concerns future generations,” indicated Lissy Gröner (ESP, Germany) when calling for the establishment of political priorities in this area. In terms of risk and pathogens, it is mainly a case of concentrating in the future on issues of pregnancy and perinatal care, pregnancy interruption (which is rising while contraception is reimbursed by social security organisms), menopause and its consequences (osteoporosis), ageing population, explained Dr. Gouello as a answer, adding “the Lisbon strategy want to make the European economy the most competitive in the world. But to have that, its population must be in excellent health!”