Scotland will appoint Women's Health Champion this summer, says Nicola Sturgeon

Nicola Sturgeon has announced the Scottish Government will appoint a women’s health champion by this summer in an “important step” in tackling gendered health inequalities.

The First Minister said the appointment of a women’s health ambassador would be an “important step” in the Government’s Women’s Health Plan.

It comes after a women’s health ambassador, Dame Lesley Regan, was recently appointed in England.

The UK Government claims the professor of obstetrics and gynaecology will drive system-level changes to close the gender health gap.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said Scotland will appoint a Women's Health Champion this Summer.

Women across Scotland continue to call on the Government to take action against anti-abortion protests outside clinics in Scotland.

Back Off Scotland has told The Scotsman these protests continue to limit women accessing healthcare as the group calls on Ms Sturgeon to introduce 150m buffer zones.

The First Minister has committed to convening an emergency summit on abortion care in Scotland on Monday.

Speaking at the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, Ms Sturgeon said: "Through the Scottish plan, we have prioritised improving services and information for women, including initiating research on endometriosis, launching a new women’s health platform on NHS Inform and increasing the choices women have to access contraception at community pharmacies.”

Questioning the First Minister on the appointment, Scottish Labour MSP Carol Mochan said women across Scotland “continue to face significant health inequalities”.

Ms Mochan said: “For many women, these health inequalities can define their lives and, in some cases, simply because they are women and, in others, because they are women in areas with higher levels of deprivation.”

The Labour MSP asked the First Minister to give women across Scotland the assurance the appointment would be “meaningful” and would take forward actions in the Women’s Health Plan, which she claimed "have not been forthcoming”.

Ms Sturgeon stressed the appointment would be meaningful, adding: “It is important we take forward all of the action points and recommendations in the Women’s Health Plan.

"We were the first government in the UK to produce a health plan for women. Since the launch of the plan, we have seen progress made on a range of actions.”

Ms Sturgeon said the Government had established a menopause specialist network that provides peer support as well as making progress on action in menstrual health within the Scottish curriculum.