New women’s health policy inadequate

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDDec 30 2010

The Gillard government is being criticized for issuing a women’s health policy without announcing more funding for struggling women’s services. This is the first national women’s health policy in 21 years that claims to ensure women “have access to the right healthcare at the right time”.

The 140 page policy was unveiled by Health Minister, Nicola Roxon, and Minister for the Status of Women, Kate Ellis, who said it would target chronic disease among women, “the greatest challenge to women’s health over the next two decades.” Also funds to the tune of $5.3 million were announced to finance a longitudinal study on women’s health. The Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, which began in 1996, has conducted follow-up health surveys with more than 40,000 Australian women. The policy said that in spite of an overall improvement in women’s health, much needed to be done for many, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. The policy notes health issues such as obesity, anxiety and depression had become increasing issues for women over the past two decades.

According to Gwen Gray, the convener of the Australian Women’s Health Network, the policy is great but funds are inadequate to give effect to the aims of the policy or to support women’s health services, which had struggled for years in the face of “seriously insufficient funding”. Dr. Gray said, “Without a funded women’s health program to support services implementation, the new policy runs the risk of becoming a piece of paper promoting high-sounding ideals.” She added that the network was “extremely disappointed that the important role played by women's health centres has been overlooked”.

The policy stated four major thrust areas;

• prevention of chronic disease through the control of risk factors
• mental health and wellbeing
• sexual and reproductive health
• healthy ageing

This would be achieved by setting five policy goals including the need to highlight the significance of gender as a key determinant of women’s health and well-being, and to acknowledge that women’s health needs differed depending on their stage of life.

According to Darlene Cox, the executive director of Canberra’s Health Care Consumers Association the policy addressed needs of marginalized women but more emphasis on information services for women’s health would be essential for the policy to take hold. She said, “There’s a lot of mythology around the health system and the medicalization of our health rather than the well-being model we really aspire to.” The Public Health Association of Australia welcomed the policy’s emphasis on the prevention of chronic disease, and on sexual and reproductive health. The association’s president, Professor Helen Keleher urged the government to integrate the policy direction with the government’s proposals for the Medicare Locals community health organizations.