Time to deliver on maternity, endo, and other women’s health issues

Britain’s first Women’s Health Strategy has proved to be one of 2025’s biggest turkeys and has led to rises in the very conditions it was meant to prevent – says an Oldham doctor.

The much-heralded drive, launched with a full Government fanfare, promised to right the wrongs of the past by listening to women’s voices and boosting health outcomes for women and girls. 
 

But Dr Anita Sharma, founder of the Endometriosis Awareness North charity, has pointed to disappointing figures across the board – especially for females from BAME backgrounds – and an actual rise in the time it takes to diagnose one of the most painful conditions women face, endometriosis. 
 

“The strategy was greeted with great relief because for the first time, it looked like women’s health was being given the profile it deserved” said Dr Sharma, “but at the moment these now seem entirely empty promises.  

There are close-on 600,000 women waiting for gynaecological appointments and those from BAME backgrounds are losing their lives because attempts to educate them on cancer screening have failed.  

“The great leap forwards in women’s health have in fact become a giant step backwards.” 

There have been some improvements since the Strategy first took shape. Access to fertility treatment has widened, and the emergence of women’s health hubs has been roundly praised.  

But Dr Sharma would like to see the creation of specific one-stop shops for endometriosis where everything from diagnosis, through to scans and treatment take place under one roof. 
 

She also believes some of the issues faced are societal rather than just governmental.  

“A misogynist attitude to female health has led to women being dismissed, when they are suffering real pain” continued Dr Sharma.  

“The lack of research into female health complaints also smacks of prejudice. If endometriosis which leads to acute pelvic pain and organ failure affected one-in-ten men, you can bet resource would be poured into treatment and a cure.” 
 

A key component of the charity’s work in 2026 will be to continue to lobby decision- makers (they faced an all-party group in Westminster earlier this year).  

Since the medical profession is so lax on endometriosis, Dr Sharma will continue to organise free training events and speak at resident and other doctor’s events. 
 

She concluded: “There was such excitement when the Women’s Health Strategy was unveiled, but it is only right that politicians should be brought to account for the promises they made and haven’t fulfilled. 
 

“Together, as the Endometriosis Awareness North charity, we’ve driven change. Every breakthrough, every campaign, every conversation matters – it saves and changes lives.”