“Limited funds” in the Health Department could mean that “the numerous issues with women’s health will not be adequately addressed”, according to a top scrutineer.
Deputy Louise Doublet was speaking to Express following this week’s Health Scrutiny Panel meeting during which the Health Minister said that there was no extra funding for women’s health – but added that it was “high time that we looked at some of the specifics about men’s health”.
“An increasingly critical concern”
Health Scrutiny Panel chair Deputy Doublet said: “The Minister again referred to there being limited funds, so I do have concerns that the numerous issues with women’s health will not be adequately addressed.
“However, in response to my further questions, the Assistant Minister did say she would consider bidding in the budget later this year for funding to support activity stemming from the report.”
Deputy Doublet pointed to recent data that shows that women in Jersey are living longer than men – but are in poor health for longer.
“With the likelihood of poor health rising significantly with age, especially in those aged over 75 – the ageing population in Jersey makes this an increasingly critical concern,” she said.
The scrutineer said that “it’s not just an increase of funds that’s needed to address women’s health”.
She explained “The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment report on women’s health and wellbeing outlined how dismissive attitudes, misogyny, violence against women and girls, disproportionate financial stress – particularly on female single parents – societal stigma, limited access to affordable housing, health care, child care, healthy food, and higher stress levels are all resulting in poorer health outcomes for women.
“We need to face this evidence as an island, collectively, and work towards a culture that is more supportive of the factors that contribute to good health in a wider sense.”
“High time that we looked at some of the specifics about men’s health”
A specific Women’s Health Strategy for Jersey was pulled last year due to a lack of funding and “limited staff resources”.
But in this week’s scrutiny hearing, the Health Minister said that, after the creation of a Women’s Health Group, he had received requests to look at men’s health too.
Deputy Binet said: “I’ve been approached by a number of people recently who actually want me to set up a special issue for men’s health.
“I think this probably is high time that we looked at some of the specifics about men’s health.
“And I know the same question is going to be asked: ‘Will there be extra budgets for men’s issues?’
“And we come back around in this great circle of money.”
“A fundamental rethink about health funding”
Assistant Minister Andy Howell, who has responsibility for women’s health, outlined six areas of focus for women’s health in the island:
- Healthy behaviours from childhood
- Prioritising gynaecological and reproductive health improvement
- Recognising determinants of health in women and girls
- Reducing barriers to accessing care and support
- Addressing the impact of the ageing population and declining birth rates.
“The Women’s Health Group are going to be looking at those areas and then deciding what we should prioritise,” she added.
Asked whether there was funding available, Deputy Binet said it was “simply a case of doing as much as we can in each of those categories with the money that’s available”.
But elsewhere in the meeting, he said that the Health Department had no spare cash.
Talking about neurodiversity services, the Health Minister said: “Unfortunately, when you look in the pot and there’s not a single penny, you can’t leave the starting blocks.
“[That] doesn’t mean that we won’t look to try and do this as things go forward… We need to have a fundamental rethink about health funding.”
During the same hearing, Deputy Binet also revealed that there was no guarantee that home births would be reintroduced after they were suspended last year.
