Older Australian women are being encouraged to share their experiences in the health system to help improve future health outcomes for women and girls.

They are among a cohort of female patients, health providers, researchers and other stakeholders being urged by the federal government to tell their stories through an online portal, either by submitting a written statement, audio recording, completing the survey or all of the above. 

Sector bias

The Australian-first nation-wide community consultation is being held to understand the personal experiences of women comes at a time when the country’s health system is facing increasing criticism from people, politicians and advocates concerned at perceived bias within the sector. 

Gender economics expert Katie McGregor said she believes women are more likely than men to receive delayed and ineffective treatment, experience harmful drug side effects and be denied necessary pain medication.

Gender versus gender

In a recent piece written for Ageing Agenda, McGregor wrote that women have a 50-75 percent greater risk of suffering from an adverse drug reaction (ADR) compared to men, and a majority of patients admitted to the hospital for an ADR are women. 
 
 In 2012, a group of women received over $1.2 billion in compensation after taking menopause hormone replacement drugs that caused them to develop breast cancer.

The consultation’s findings will be used to inform the work of the National Women’s Health Advisory Council, which provides advice and recommendations to Government to improve the health of women and girls, including monitoring the implementation of the National Women’s Health Strategy 2020-2030.
  
 The Council is looking at opportunities to address gender bias in the health system across four priority areas: safety, research, access care and outcomes, and empowerment.

Under-researched, undiagnosed or untreated

In announcing the consultation late last month, the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Ged Kearney, said it was unacceptable that conditions that affect mostly women often went under-researched, undiagnosed or untreated.

“When it comes to conditions that affect everyone, we often lack the knowledge of how it might affect women’s bodies and physiology.

 
 “I have heard from women across the country and what is undeniable is this: every woman has a story – but nobody has ever asked them to tell it.”
  
 “We can’t fix what we don’t know, and this is the critical next step in helping us understand people’s experiences.”
  
 Minister Kearney said she encourages anyone who has experienced or witnessed gender bias in the health system to take part - particularly people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to “share their experiences in their own language”.

 

Do you need aged care support for yourself or a loved one? Just Better Care can help people from diverse backgrounds with different lifestyles achieve their goals. Get started by talking to a local team member today.