For decades, women’s health has been overlooked or treated as a secondary consideration to men’s health, in terms of research and care. It has left us with a health system soaked in inequity.
The recent series published by The Age/Sydney Morning Herald on medical misogyny is a critical and timely investigation that brings together nearly 2000 voices of lived experience, built on the back of years of women’s advocacy.
Through this reporting, women with experiences of medical misogyny are finally being heard.
Now, we must change the system.
Australians deserve a national health system that eliminates the deeply embedded gender bias at all levels. We deserve meaningful reforms which are not based on one-off programs or funding splashes dependent on political will and budget cycles. Reforms are required to:
- medical research funding and requirements;
- how our health workforce is trained;
- how healthcare is funded to be more accessible; and
- the way health services operate.
It’s why we should always be guided by lived experience – because understanding women’s first-hand experiences of healthcare is vital to identifying and implementing effective, equitable solutions.
Thank you to The Age for shining this spotlight.
- Sally Hasler
Chief Executive Officer