New endometriosis clinic open

A SPECIALIST service to support women with endometriosis and pelvic pain is now open at Bendigo Community Health Services.

The new clinic will be run by BCHS and is one of 22 federally funded endometriosis services to be opened Australia wide, including four in Victoria.

Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care Ged Kearney said the additional services would give women in Bendigo access to specialised healthcare.

“We know one in nine women, possibly one in seven women, have endometriosis or some form of pelvic pain condition.

“They have unfortunately not got the best out of the health system, they have been dismissed, they’ve been told that their pain is just a woman’s lot and to suck it up.”

$700,000 will be allocated to BCHS over a four-year period to run the clinic and is part of a $58-million spend nationwide by the federal government to address the gap in women’s health services.

GP’s can refer patients to the clinic, and in time women will be able to self-refer to seek treatment and diagnosis for their condition.

“This is somewhere that women will come where they will be heard, where they will be believed and they will get the treatment that they need,” said Ms Kearney.

Health Services across the country were invited to submit a proposal on how they would run an endometriosis and pelvic pain clinic.

Bendigo federal member Lisa Chesters, said BCSH had put forth an outstanding application and that she was excited to see the clinic open in Bendigo.

“It is a great opportunity for other health services to look at what’s happening here,” Ms Chesters said.

“That’s something that our community health services do quite well, they share their experience, they share their knowledge.”

The BCSH endometriosis and pelvic pain clinic is staffed by female nurses and GPs with specialist training in the condition and patients can access care at no cost.

Ms Kearney said she hoped the word would spread about the four new clinics now open in Victoria, so more women are able to get help for endometriosis.

“To be honest we hope a time comes where we don’t need them, where every primary health care centre in the country understands how to treat endometriosis and pelvic pain.”