A meeting held in Oldham revealed women are fleeing abroad for treatment such as hysterectomies due to inequalities in women's health and long waiting lists.

At an event held by the charity the Women's CHAI Project in Oldham, GP Dr Anita Sharma heard how predominantly South Asian women are flying overseas to pay for cheap treatments rather than endure painful three-year waits for operations in the UK.

Dr Sharma expressed concern at the discovery, saying patients are “playing dice with their health” while “leaving families back in Britain motherless for months”.

However, she added: “Do I blame women for travelling to another country to have a hysterectomy rather than go through the relentless bleeding and pain? No.

“Do I worry about her doing so? Absolutely."

The GP, who also runs her own endometriosis charity, warned the quality of care in some rural parts of countries is below the standard of most NHS hospitals.

She added: “Also, what if something goes wrong and you become dangerously ill?

“I personally believe that a lot of private healthcare is motivated by money rather than the patient, and what appears to be your initial bill for treatment could grow and grow.”

But she said delays in appointment times, underinvestment in healthcare and a lack of concern around women's health in general is prompting women to seek treatment elsewhere.

She highlighted menopause as one such issue where some men, including employers and male doctors, could be deemed indifferent to women’s suffering and assume it is a natural part of ageing for women.

Dr Sharma added: “Women from the South Asian community are often told to ‘get on with it’ and are dissuaded from ever discussing gynaecological problems, which are seen as taboo.”

Women in attendance at the event agreed that they only had older friends to rely on when facing health issues such as endometriosis.

Dr Sharma launched her own charity, Endometriosis Awareness North, last year in recognition of the challenges women face.