women and men are exposed to health risks in different ways with consequently different health outcomes
women live on average six years longer than men but most of these additional years are lived in worse health
certain diseases such as osteoporosis have a much higher incidence among women
this is why the eu strategy for equality between women and men twenty ten twenty fifteen which the commission has recently adopted points to the need for medical research and healthcare to reflect these differences
the strategy stresses that health services need to continue the process of adaptation to properly reflect the specific needs of women and men
the strategy for these actions specifically targeting women's health includes awareness-raising seminars on women's health and exchanging best practices on gender-specific health policies
we are not starting from scratch here
the eu health strategy adopted three years ago already signalled the need to take gender-related issues into account in health policy making
to this end the community health programme has supported many projects on women's health aimed at promoting a better understanding and recognition of women's health needs
a good example of how the eu can help member states improve women's health is cancer screening
it is estimated that thirty-two zero deaths from breast cancer alone could be prevented each year across the european union if effective national screening programmes for breast cancer were implemented
this is why the commission developed european guidelines on breast cancer screening
finally i am pleased to say that earlier this year the commission published a report on women's health which contributes to raising awareness of the need for policies that are more responsive to gender concerns
