Women receive worse health care in Britain than in Vietnam, Latvia and even KAZAKHSTAN, a shock study shows

British women receive worse healthcare than those in Vietnam, Latvia and even Kazakhstan, an international study has found.

Britain has fallen from 30th to 37th in the global rankings, which rank how countries perform in five key areas of women’s health and wellbeing.

Experts blame the decline on Britain’s failure to make much-needed progress in women’s health care over the past three years, while other countries had made leaps forward.

The country scored lower than the EU average in areas such as cancer screening, emotional health and women’s safety in the Hologic Global Women’s Health Index 2023, published today.

There was also a decline in how women in Britain rated their antenatal care, access to healthcare and happiness levels.

The annual survey of almost 79,000 women from 143 countries and territories shows that on average, women’s health in Britain has not improved since 2020, while other countries have made progress.

For example, Poland scored the same as Britain last year, but positive changes saw the country jump to 9th place globally this year.

Tim Simpson of Hologic UK & Ireland, a medical technology company specializing in women’s health, described the findings as ‘a call to action and improvement’.

He said: ‘Despite the significant potential for progress, Britain is being outpaced by other countries making more substantial progress in women’s health.

‘This underlines the urgent need for greater attention to issues such as preventive measures and pregnancy care, not only to catch up, but also to set a standard for women’s health worldwide.’

The poll found that women in Britain were less likely to receive preventive care in the past year than those living in EU countries, and fewer women were screened for high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes and sexually transmitted infections than the EU average.

Two in five women in Britain reported feeling worry and stress on a daily basis, with women more likely to say they felt sadness, stress and anger than women in EU countries.

Levels of negative emotions, including worry, sadness, stress and anger, among women in Britain have all risen significantly since 2020, while levels across the EU have fallen slightly on average.

In fact, levels of sadness reported by women in Britain have increased every year since the survey was first published in 2020.

Now one in three (32 percent) say they felt sad the day before, compared to one in five (21 percent) three years ago.

Women in Britain were also more likely than their EU counterparts to be dissatisfied with access to high-quality healthcare – such as getting a GP or a hospital appointment – ​​where they lived.

Two-thirds of women surveyed in Britain (67 percent), compared with 68 percent in the EU, said they were satisfied they had access to high-quality healthcare, up from 75 percent three years ago.

In Britain, women are also now less likely to say that care during pregnancy is satisfactory: 74 percent agree with this statement, compared to 77 percent last year.

More than one in four women (27 percent) in Britain said they lived with pain on a daily basis, and a similar number (26 percent) said they lived with health problems that limited their normal daily activities.

The number of women who say chronic conditions disrupt their daily lives has increased by more than 50 percent in three years.

Commenting on the research, Dr Ranee Thakar, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: ‘This work underlines the crucial need for governments, non-governmental organizations and policy makers to prioritize and invest in women’s health in interventions that promote women’s health. best interests first.’

The highest ranked places were Taiwan (72), Kuwait (68), Austria (67), Germany (67) and Switzerland (66).

Britain ranked 37th with a score of 60 out of 100, putting the country below the EU average of 61.

The worst countries in the world for women’s health in 2023 were Afghanistan, with a score of 26, followed by Sierra Leone (34), the Republic of Congo (35) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (36). Overall, the average score was 54.

Janet Lindsay, chief executive of the charity Wellbeing of Women, said the report should serve as a ‘strong reminder’ that women and girls need better care and support.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: ‘The Government has made women’s health a top priority and is committed to a women’s health strategy that delivers a better standard of care for women and girls.’