“It’s not a women’s issue. It is a social problem. » This is how Emmanuel Macron announced, on January 11, the launch of a national strategy to fight endometriosis, an inflammatory and chronic disease of the female genital tract which affects nearly one in ten women, i.e. between 1, 5 and 2.5 million people. Monday, February 14, the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, officially presented the main lines of this strategy. Objective: to better understand, diagnose and manage the disease.
Nearly 200 experts, patient associations, health professionals and researchers concerned with endometriosis were consulted to develop an action plan for the coming years, reports the government. This strategy, the execution of which is steered by the Directorate General for Healthcare and which brings together the Ministries of National Education, Research and Higher Education, Labor and Gender Equality men and women, is divided into three parts which include research, diagnosis and access to care, as well as communication relating to this pathology.
Reduce diagnostic delay
Major problem related to endometriosis, the diagnostic wandering of patients. This delay amounts to an average of seven years and can lead to an irreversible progression of the disease, especially since no curative treatment currently exists. The Ministry of Health promises to “guarantee rapid diagnosis and access to quality care throughout the territory”. To do this, France will create territorial networks dedicated to endometriosis in each region, by 2023. These structures aim to “inform citizens, train professionals, diagnose endometriosis, announce this diagnosis” and finally, “Organize the personalized care of each patient accordingly”. Regional centers for the most serious forms of the disease must also be created.
Concerning the financial coverage of the disease, the State ensures the” to improve “. However, endometriosis will not be included in the list of long-term conditions (ALD 30). The National Assembly voted unanimously for this recognition on January 13. “Today, recognition in ALD 30 cannot be justified for all forms of endometriosis, in particular asymptomatic forms”, says the ministry. The latter recalls, however, that patients suffering from “in disabling forms” of the disease can benefit from an exemption under ALD 31 (disorder off the list). “In 2020, more than 6,800 women benefited from this exemption”he points out.
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