Hannah Hammoud
Women living in Melbourne’s west are suffering from a lack of available health services, according to a local gynaecologist.
Obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Sneha Parghi said when it comes to specialist care in women’s health, there is a scarcity in the western suburbs of Melbourne.
“I’ve been working in women’s health for several years. There is a dearth of services for women in the west, and this has been the case for a long time,” she said.
“Melbourne’s west is generally neglected when it comes to health services, and women’s health is neglected overall. This combination does not make for necessary opportunities for women to seek out the help they need.
“This lack speaks to the greater lack of attention for women’s health. Women in the west need to trek into the city in order to get the care they need or desire and this includes specialised gynaecology services, private obstetric care, and termination services.”
A state government spokesperson said the government has provided significant funding to treat women’s health issues, acknowledging that they have been under-diagnosed for too long.
“We are establishing 20 new women’s health clinics to provide wraparound care – a one-stop shop for women’s health, available for free and close to home,” the spokesperson said.
Dr Parghi cautioned the state government against a one size fits all approach.
“Endometriosis has received a lot of attention lately, and so it should. Approximately one in nine women suffer from endometriosis and there is an average delay to diagnosis of six to seven years. This leads to a lot of undue suffering and does not allow women to contribute to their communities in the ways they wish,” she said,
“However, it needs to be emphasised that not all pain is endometriosis, and not all endometriosis causes pain. Pain is incredibly complex and requires comprehensive multidisciplinary teams to approach it from all angles … I hope these women’s health centres will consider this in their design and implementation.”
