Spain triples women’s health research funding

Spain will triple annual women’s health research funding to €18m under a programme focused on discrimination in medical research.

Spain’s Ministry of Science will increase investment in research and development projects focused on women’s health to €18m a year.

The initiative was announced on Monday by prime minister Pedro Sánchez during the presentation of Somos. Contamos: Fin de la discriminación de las mujeres en la investigación de la salud, which translates as We Are. We Count: Ending Discrimination Against Women in Health Research.

Sánchez said:

“This will boost research, diagnosis and treatment in areas that affect the lives of thousands of women in our country, who have not received the necessary attention.”

The plan is divided into three main areas.

These include a specific mission on women’s health through the centre for technological development and innovation, which will support companies and research centres working on research and development projects.

It also includes a new funding line for the Carlos III health institute and measures to build the research workforce in the field, including predoctoral contracts for projects focused on women’s health.

Sánchez said conditions such as endometriosis reflected discrimination faced by women in healthcare.

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside the uterus, often causing severe pain and, in some cases, fertility problems.

The prime minister said the condition affects one in seven women and can take a decade to diagnose.

He said:

“This cannot be allowed in Spain today.”

Sánchez added:

“If a disease affected one in seven men, causing chronic pain, difficulty working, and fertility problems, would we accept a decade-long delay in diagnosis? The answer is obvious: certainly not. So it’s high time we said ‘no’ with the same clarity when we talk about diseases that affect millions of women.”

Other diseases where diagnosis and treatment suffer from a lack of a gender perspective include chronic pain, autoimmune and thyroid diseases, cardiovascular and mental health conditions, menopause and hormonal imbalances.

Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body, while thyroid diseases affect a gland in the neck that helps regulate metabolism, energy and hormones.

Sánchez said:

“There can be no equality while science continues to respond better to some lives than to others.”

The prime minister also addressed the delay in diagnosing women.

He said:

“It is a paradox that says a lot about our past, that challenges our present, but that also drives us to change the future, including through politics.”