Grampians Women’s Health Clinic – Ministerial Response
Scroll down for the Minister’s response, or click here to discover more about how we’re working for Wendouree.
Original constituency question from Juliana Addison MP to Parliament –
My constituency question is for the Minister for Health, and the question I ask is: how will women living in the electorate of Wendouree benefit from the Allan Labor government’s investment in women’s health clinics?
I am passionate about the provision of health care for women in my community, and I am particularly interested to learn more about the provision of gynaecological services as well as treatment for pelvic pain conditions and menopause. I am proud to be a part of a government that has made women’s health and wellbeing its priority. Our health matters, and we need to be heard and believed and have our medical needs taken seriously and addressed effectively.
I look forward to the minister’s response.
Response from the Hon. Mary-Anne Thomas MP, Minister for Health (11 November 2024) –
I want to thank the Member for her tireless advocacy for the health of her local community – including for the women and girls in her electorate. I know the member is keenly interested in making sure that women across Victoria have access to the healthcare they need.
The Allan Labor government is investing $153 million to Giving Women’s Health the Focus and Funding it Deserves. The suite of initiatives includes 20 new women’s health clinics, an Aboriginal women’s health clinic, and a mobile clinic, nine additional women’s sexual and reproductive health hubs, grants for women’s support groups, scholarships for healthcare staff, early work toward a women’s health research initiative, an Inquiry into Women’s Pain, and funding for data and research.
The first five women’s health clinics were launched in April 2024 including Grampians Health – Ballarat Base Hospital. The Grampians women’s health clinic will be operating across three locations including Ballarat, Stawell and Horsham. Services will include gynecology, care for pelvic pain and incontinence conditions and allied health services, with the potential for service offerings to be expanded overtime, such as menopause support. Services are expected to phase in before the end of the year.
More information about the Allan Labor Government’s Women’s Health investments can be found https://www.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/womens-health-wellbeing-program.