The Frankfurt doctor Lena Marie Seegers shows a model heart, the back of the heart can be seen. Image: Anton Vester
If Adam is considered the standard, Eve loses out. In medicine, women and men are still often treated equally – with fatal consequences. People in Hesse now want to combat this with education and studies.
No matter how clearly women and men differ at first glance, in medical teaching they are often perceived as more “unisex”. This sometimes has serious consequences because symptoms and side effects are not recognized and medications are overdosed. The studies do not adequately address the differences between the sexes, says Christine Hidas, member of the executive board of the Hesse State Medical Association. This is surprising given the majority of female students taking up medical studies, as 70 to 75 percent of first-year students are female.
As early as 2019, the meeting of delegates of the Medical Association in Hesse advocated the promotion of gender medicine, which aims to provide the best possible care for all genders. Their results should be included in the further training of doctors and medical assistants. But little has happened since then, says Hidas.