A few weeks ago, I read two distressing reports of discrimination in medicine, both affecting women.

The first says Asian women and older patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are half as likely to

receive the latest treatment. The second says white women are more likely to be given HRT than

Chinese and Black African women.

I’m appalled.

Examining more than 6,000 patients who’d been newly diagnosed with RA, researchers found Asian patients are half as likely to be started on biologic drugs for RA as white patients.

Patients over 65 were 60% less likely to be given these highly effective biologic drugs than patients under 40. Asian women were less likely to be prescribed biologic drugs than Asian men and white men.

“RA is a progressive, debilitating condition with no cure. This study highlights marked differences in who gets started on advanced therapies for rheumatoid arthritis,” said lead author Dr Mark Russell of King’s College, London, who believes all patient groups should receive equal access to the best care. The second, 10-year study finds menopausal women of Chinese and Black African backgrounds are 80% less likely to get HRT than white women.

I can’t get my head around this because HRT is one of the most common and successful treatments

for menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, mood swings, poor sleep and vaginal dryness.

But the study of nearly two million women by academics at Oxford University has laid bare worrying

inequalities in women’s access to HRT.

Between 2013 and 2023, almost six times as many white women were prescribed HRT as Black women.

Furthermore, more than twice as many women in affluent areas were given HRT as those in socially

deprived areas.

Over the 10 years, researchers found women of Chinese backgrounds were 82% less likely, and those of Black African backgrounds 79% less likely to receive HRT than white women.

Women of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian backgrounds were respectively 70%, 64% and 61% less

likely to be on HRT.

Nina Kuypers, the founder of Black Women In Menopause, said: “Many Black women tell us that when they go to their GP, they feel dismissed or unheard, with their symptoms often being misinterpreted or overlooked.

“Instead of being recognised as part of menopause, their experiences are sometimes attributed to unrelated conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, which are prevalent in the Black community.”

Dr Sue Mann, NHS national clinical director for women’s health, said it was vital all women had equal access to support and were always fully informed about the risks and benefits of the different treatment options for menopause, including HRT.