Gender Inequalities Impact Access to Treatment
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Gender Inequalities Impact Access to Treatment

Photo by:   James Yarema en Unsplash
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Miriam Bello By Miriam Bello | Senior Journalist and Industry Analyst - Mon, 06/20/2022 - 16:21

Research from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust found that women with an injury or trauma are half as likely as men to receive tranexamic acid (TXA). This life-saving medicine is reportedly equally effective in men and women and reduces the risk of death by up to 30 percent.

This finding was the result of a two-part investigation where researchers analyzed trials of 20,000 adult trauma victims. Original findings showed that the life-saving medicine, which can prevent excessive blood loss, can save the lives of accident victims globally. Researchers also looked at data from 216,000 injured patients from the Trauma Audit Research Network (TARN) to determine whether injured women were being treated equally to men. This comparison showed that injured women were half as likely to receive TXA, both in and outside of the hospital setting.

The study also found that inequalities in treatment provision persisted despite the equal risk of death among men and women. The inequalities worsened for older patients and those considered to be at lower risk of death from blood loss. While the underlying cause of the bias could not be determined during the study, reducing the gap can save about 160 lives per year in the UK, said the authors.  

In Mexico, private and public representatives are working to reduce the gender bias in healthcare through the project “Economic and Health Impact of Non-Communicable Diseases on Women in Mexico,” run by The Mexican Association of Pharmaceutical Research Industries (AMIIF) and the National Institute of Public Health (INSP).

One of the most important objectives of this study, which will be conducted over the next 18 months, is to complete an in-depth analysis of the economic and health burden of NCDs from a gender perspective. The study is part of a strategy to mitigate health inequalities and has as its ultimate goal contributing to the design of public policy and gender-sensitive programs that improve healthcare, explained Cristobal Thompson, Executive Director, AMIIF.

This project is targeting one of Mexico’s historic health burdens: chronic diseases. But it will also serve to shine the light on health access inequalities in Mexico. In Mexico, for every 100 men, seventy-six women lack access to health services, according to UN Women. 

Photo by:   James Yarema en Unsplash

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