Bavaria’s Health Minister Judith Gerlach (CSU) is campaigning for a new preventive examination for girls aged twelve and over by a gynecologist. “The aim of a girls’ health examination, ‘M1’ for short, is a low-threshold offer for an initial consultation with a gynecologist – without a gynecological examination. This is also intended to remove the obstacle to the first visit to the gynecologist,” said the CSU- politician of the German press agency in Munich.
A model project is being discussed as a voluntary offer from health insurance companies for girls from the age of twelve. In addition to pediatricians and adolescent doctors, gynecologists are good and important contacts for health questions of adolescent girls, said Gerlach. “The hormonal and physical changes during this time bring with them many questions and often uncertainties, as well as aspects of sexual health and contraception.”
On Monday, Gerlach wants to discuss the topic at a round table on girls’ health, to which, in addition to specialists, representatives from the field of sports, influencers and girls are invited. This year, women’s health is the focus of the Ministry of Health. The first aspect to focus on is girls’ health.
“It is important to draw more attention to the health challenges facing girls specifically and to develop solutions,” said Gerlach. This is about eating disorders, for example, about which more information needs to be provided. Girls are more often affected by mental illnesses than boys, which can be accompanied by eating disorder. There are also differences in health behavior. Girls are often less physically active than boys, especially during adolescence. “I would like to explore ways in which we can get more girls involved in regular exercise and sport. Because this is an important contribution to health.”
There are currently a number of health examinations for children and young people (U1 to U9 as well as J1), during which the general health status and age-appropriate development of a child are regularly checked by a doctor. In this way, possible problems or abnormalities should be identified and treated at an early stage. The examinations for children and young people are defined as services of the statutory health insurance.
The Free State cannot take action when introducing an M1 investigation. Before a preventive examination can begin, an evaluation is first necessary, i.e. testing in a model project. In a next step, the Federal Committee of Doctors and Health Insurance Companies will then decide whether to include the preventive examination in the catalog of services provided by the statutory health insurance companies.