Women are urged to get back on track with health checks.
This comes in light of a 2022 Jean Hailes for Women’s Health survey revealing that women put off regular health checks, like cervical cancer screening, during Covid-19.
RACGP President Adjunct Professor Karen Price says this is “very concerning” and may lead to “delayed diagnosis and worsening illness”.
“It’s critical that we get screening back on track in Australia,” Adj. Professor Price said.
“This includes everything from breast screens to heart health, mental health assessments and osteoporosis prevention, as well as supporting the updated self-collection process for cervical cancer screening,” she said.
Cervical self-collection
Earlier this year, the Federal Government gave all people with a cervix who are eligible for cervical screening the option to take self-collected vaginal swab samples as part of the National Cervical Cancer Screening Program.
However, according to the RACGP uptake of this option is lagging due to lack of awareness with a newsGP poll revealing just 8% of GPs report that the majority of eligible patients have made use of the expanded access to self-collection.
“Self-collection is about saving lives,” RACGP spokesperson and member of the National Cervical Screening Program Self-Collection Implementation Committee Dr Lara Roeske said.
“We need to address the barriers limiting uptake because the self-collection option is now available to everyone who needs cervical cancer screening, so we should see more widespread use of it.”
The self-collection option is available under the National Cervical Screening Program to all people with a cervix who are aged between 25–74 and who have ever been sexually active, and at any time during pregnancy.
Put women’s health first
Adj. Professor Price is calling on Australia’s leaders “to put women’s health first and invest in ongoing, preventative care”.
With rising costs of living, the Jean Hailes survey reveals to 44% of all women can’t afford to see their GP or other healthcare professional.
“It’s even worse for women from non-English speaking backgrounds, with 70% saying they could not afford care,” Adj. Professor Price said.
Adj. Professor Price says the issues surrounding access to healthcare need to be addressed urgently because access to healthcare is a fundamental right.
“The government needs to address this problem urgently because everyone in Australia should be able to access high-quality care, more matter their postcode, income or gender,” she said.
