In Her Head editorial: No, doctor, it's not just a figment of her imagination

Too many have been made to feel their serious illness is a figment of their imagination or 'just part of being a woman'. Photo / 123rf, File

Editorial

EDITORIAL

With an average of 12 years of intensive training, it's not so hard to reconcile why a health professional would believe they know better than a woman who has walked in complaining of pain that is hard to put a finger on.

This is a frequent challenge for our health system. When no serious problem can be found, could it be all in the patient's head? Could this be another worried-well person who has spent too much time consulting Doctor Google?

Many times, health practitioners get it right and a patient is reassured or proceeds through treatment and recovery. Getting it wrong is often calamitous.

Part of the problem stems from our under-resourced General Practices (GPs). A 15-minute consultation while more patients join the queue in the waiting room is not conducive to best practice, In these circumstances, often the best a GP can manage is compliance with legal or ethical requirements before referring to the best guess of a specialist.

Early identification of the problem is a common concern among many women let down by our health system. A difference could have been made by someone with the time to listen; think; consider more possibilities; and to be more thorough before ruling out possibilities.

This is a scenario not of the GPs' making but one they deal with every day. And it will get worse before it gets better. In March this year, there 74 GPs for every 100,000 New Zealanders. In Australia, no state has less than 90 GPs per 100,000, and Queensland has 125. New Zealand's ratio is projected to fall to 70 by 2031. A diminishing number of GPs is unlikely to provide better, early intervention.

Other exacerbating factors include Covid, of course, and limited specialist care which varies in availability across New Zealand's health districts.

Some of the causes are known and some are being worked on, through such initiatives as the Government's new Health NZ / Hauora Aotearoa and Māori Health Authority restructure. But new bureaucratic structures are unlikely to shift the fact that we are letting our women down, not only badly but over and over again. And we believe there needs to be a seismic shift in the mindset across the health service.

"In Her Head" is a Herald campaign for improved women's health services. Health reporter Emma Russell has been investigating what's wrong with our system and talking to wāhine who have been made to feel their serious illness is a figment of their imagination or "just part of being a woman".

The series highlights serious and confronting problems in the way women have been treated.

Nearly $27 million of taxpayer money has been paid in the last five years to thousands of women for failed health treatments. This includes continuing misuse of surgical mesh in operations for childbirth injuries, despite bans on its use in other countries.

However, it doesn't include incalculable costs in other areas, for example, women who have waited years, sometimes decades, to be diagnosed with endometriosis who aren't entitled to make a claim. Likewise, many birth injuries are also not covered.

The costs sustained aren't only monetary or what is somewhat glibly described as a loss of enjoyment of life. These situations deprive our women of being mothers, wives, valued members of families and communities. They are denied the right to be women.

Our wāhine deserve better. To be listened to when they say they feel something is wrong.

Over the following days, the Herald will outline the case for putting to rest the assumption by medical officials that, because they can't explain what is wrong, then it must be "all in her head".

While doing this, we would like to acknowledge the courage of the women who have agreed to share their painful and very personal experiences.