Netherlands secures €12 million for women’s health issues

Minister Edith Schippers of Public Health is investing 12 million euros into research on women's health problems, specifically mapping the health related differences between women and men, the Ministry announced on Monday.

According to the Minister, these health differences can be very large. For example, women are 60 percent more likely to suffer side effects from a medicine than men. Some illnesses, like heart disease, present with different symptoms in women than in men and women are twice as likely to suffer from depression.

"We know that there are differences, but about the causes and consequences we still know far too little", Schippers said. "We treat women in a way that best suits men. We know far too little about how it should be different in women. That is unacceptable. By doing research on specific causes and symptoms in women and how women can best be treated, we can significantly improve the quality of healthcare and quality of life for women."

Minister Schippers will announce this 12 million euro investment at a WOMEN Inc. congress on gender specific health care on Monday.