A $1 billion Labor strategy provides key investments for women and girls in regional, rural, and remote areas, including $10.2 million for free, walk-in women’s health hubs and abortion clinics in the Far North.
This will be complemented by $46 million to establish four new walk-in clinics to be established across Queensland that will provide free, easy, nurse- led care closer to home.
Responses also highlight that women and girls often feel dismissed or misdiagnosed by the health system – something the Strategy will directly seek to address.
The Strategy has also been informed by the work of the Australian Women and Girls’ Health Research Centre at the University of Queensland.
Australian women experience different health outcomes than Australian men and face significant barriers to achieving their full health potential. Some of these barriers include challenges with accessing services, with time and cost being significant factors.
The Queensland Women and Girls’ Health Strategy 2032 underscores the importance of accessible and timely healthcare interventions and aims to empower women to overcome significant obstacles hindering their health potential.
Queensland Labor is taking steps to improve safe and timely access to termination of pregnancy services.
While legislation was passed in 2018 to decriminalise termination of pregnancy, barriers to accessing these services persist, including cost, location, and availability of support services.
To address this, the Queensland Labor has committed $41.8 million to support implementation of a new Termination of Pregnancy Action Plan 2032 over the next five years.
The Action Plan aims to support the community to understand their options and pathways to services, develop and support the health workforce, and embed sustainable service models.
To achieve this, the Action Plan will:
- Boost the termination of pregnancy workforce with additional social workers and nurses;
- Establish a virtual termination of pregnancy service, to improve access for women in rural and remote areas;
- Provide wraparound support including counselling and financial support; and
- Deliver more education and training for health care professionals.
A Bill is also currently before the Queensland Parliament that, when passed, will allow nurse practitioners, endorsed midwives, and certain nurses and midwives who have undergone specialised training to perform medical terminations.
The proposed changes would allow these specific healthcare workers to use a termination of pregnancy drug, such as MS-2 Step, in the early stages of pregnancy.
Waterford solicitor now Health Minister Sharon Fentiman was asked the following questions on March 6, but to date no reply has been received.
Health Minister
Sharon Fentiman
Brisbane
March 6, 2024
Dear Minister MEDIA INQUIRY
$1 billion Queensland Women and Girls’ Health Strategy 2032.
1.Please advise the rationale behind spending $1b to expand women’s health services
2. Why boost the termination of pregnancy workforce with additional social workers and nurses?
3. Women have been able to easily access abortion services for many years, why suddenly spend $1b more when the numbers of abortions has not dramatically increased?
4. Please advise the number of annual abortions recorded by Qld Health
5. Please advise what is the disposal method of foetuses aborted in Qld clinics
6. Please advise if any aborted body parts are utilised in medical procedures
7. Will Queensland Health, given the dire shortage of medical professionals in Qld due to Covid mandates, re-employ any sacked nurses or any other health professionals after the Brisbane Supreme Court found Covid mandates unlawful on February 27, 2024?
We await your early reply,
Yours faithfully,
Cairns News
LGBTIQ well catered for by Labor’s UN policies
“Through the $1 billion Women and Girls’ Health Strategy, we will deliver 34 new initiatives tailored to the health needs of women and girls,” Minister Fentiman said.
“Women and girls of Queensland have bravely shared thousands of stories of being dismissed and misdiagnosed in our health system, leading to years of persistent pain and worse health outcomes.
“We know that one of the issues that came up repeatedly was access to mental health services, and I’m so proud that we are investing tens of millions of dollars into new and improved initiatives to deal with this issue.
“This includes almost $27 million to boost social workers providing mental health care, including for women experiencing domestic and family violence.
“We know there are several barriers which hinder women from accessing essential health services. This is particularly true for women and girls in rural and remote areas, First Nations women and girls, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse women and girls, women and girls with experiences in custody, the LGBTIQ+ community, and those living with disability.
“It’s time we tackle these barriers head on, and that’s what this Strategy will do.”
