Hello I have lived abroad and have family and friends who both live abroad or live in the UK but are foreign nationals and whilst I can't fault the hospital treatment I have had recently, I have often wondered why women's health care in the UK is different from that in other countries. Can anyone answer this question?
A
You ask a very good question. I'm in the UK and I'm not sure about my facts here but a British lady I met who had lived some time in Germany said that she paid in the region of £40 for an annual gynae check. I believe it was a comprehensive check which included a smear test and an ovarian scan. I don't know if that gynae service was subsidised. I would be more than happy to pay for an affordable annual, or maybe every 2 year, gynae check up. Ideally I would be seeing a gynaecologist and not have to endure my GPs waiting room (as in pre-Covid) for a smear test with a nurse who is not a gynae specialist. I know that the nurses in the GP surgery are appropriately trained but I have had one or two bad smear test experiences there. In my opinion smear tests are quite invasive and I would prefer the test was done by a specialist. It also concerns me that the NHS doesn't offer any routine gynae check ups, other than smears, so all other gynae problems are diagnosed on the basis of symptoms by which time the problem is possibly difficult to treat or incureable.
