Gender equality coming to the NHS

From April 2007, Britain's National Health Service and organisations funded by it will be legally required to actively promote equality between men and women.

The requirement is based on the poorer health records of men than of women. Among other actions, NHS organisations will have to ensure that women and men make greater use of services that their sex had previously under-used according to this Men's Health Forum (England and Wales) guide to the new requirement.

MHF president Dr Ian Banks gives this example in an article on the MHF website: "Until the age of around 50 years men use general practice services half as much as do women. 'Not such a bad idea' I hear from hard pressed GPs across the country but the upshot is there are twice as many hospital admissions from men after this watershed age.".....