September 18 was a big day for women all across Australia. After three months of submission reviews and public hearings, The Senate Committee for the Inquiry into Perimenopause and Menopause handed down their recommendations to parliament.
Like many women of my age, I excitedly read through each word of the 169 page document and was silently nodding. The recommendations were full to the brim with brilliant ideas but as I came to the last words, something was glaringly lacking – was there a 26th recommendation that was missing No.
Unfortunately, it became bleedingly obvious that the value of digital health as the key to delivering these recommendations was a lost opportunity. And, not only that, some of these digital solutions could be implemented right now using existing products and services.
These recommendations weren’t just plucked out of the air by the Senate Committee. There were 285 submissions across over 122 different organisations as well as harrowing words from many women who bravely shared their personal stories. All of these highlighted a clear lack of education within the health and general community and the need to overcome stigma.
They also brought to light gaps in research, workplace and relationship impacts, women leaving the workforce before their time and medications not being on the PBS – of course Viagra is though (cue the audible sighs and eyerolls from women across the country).
Digital health’s potential for immediate impact is proven
There were various submissions outlining the benefits and advocating for the implementation of digital health and others, in support of digital.
Let’s also recognise here that the government has already invested $44million into the Digital Health CRC and has also embarked on a health data
interoperability project designed to deliver digital health seamlessly across practitioners and patients. So it is odd that the word ‘digital’ managed to appear only once in a 169-page document. The left hand is clearly not speaking with the right hand and we should be asking why! We can’t be making assumptions that it will “all come together”.
Metluma was one of those submissions who included an immediate and proven digital solution that addressed accessibility and education and presented a new model of care that could positively impact women today, not just their children in decades time. A model that is available
for corporates, insurers and individuals to access now. Righting the wrongs of centuries of patriarchal healthcare and community stigma is not something we have time to wait around for.
It’s time to remind everyone that we’re done waiting
Since the recommendations were handed down there have been many celebratory media articles, as well as posts across social media on the outcomes of the inquiry. Yes, all of the recommendations are crucial to delivering better outcomes for women’s health but as well intentioned as they are, we all know deep down that most will not answer the issues for women who are embarking on perimenopause in the next decade, let alone today. So, let’s give women some hope and implement the ones that can.
As women, we’re finally being heard. Now, we need to double down and channel that fire of past generations. Why aren’t we agitating, striking, insisting that our needs are met now, not in some distant future?
In a world where women are increasingly turning to digital health tools for empowerment and care, the glaring omission of digital health as part of the solution is baffling – and quite frankly, unacceptable. Relying on old school approaches to healthcare delivery is a massive disservice to women across the nation. After spending more than 20 years in digital health, I’ve seen the good and the bad. In my opinion, menopause is one area that digital health can close so many gaps on, and fast!
Mind the women’s health gap, it’s currently on track to get larger
For some women, menopause can be a complex, life-altering stage, and digital health offers what traditional care can’t: an always-on, fast triage to the right care, 24/7 access to resources, tracking symptoms in real time, and connecting women to a broader support network of healthcare professionals, no matter where they live. Yet, the recommendations completely overlook investment in the use of technology (outside of just telehealth) that can bridge the gaps in women’s healthcare, particularly in underserved areas.
Let’s not forget the broader context here – there is abundant evidence that Australia’s healthcare system is already stretched thin, with waitlists and rural health access issues disproportionately affecting women in perimenopause. Strangely, the Senate Committee recommended longer GP consultations as a solution, which adds even more pressure to an already broken system that’s projected to be in a GP shortfall of 31.7% by 2030 – aligning with an aging population that is set to double over the next 40 years.
How do we expect to meet the rising demand for menopause care without leveraging digital health solutions? This, for me, is why this was such a disappointing outcome.
In my opinion, this is a disaster in the making that we’ll be watching in slow motion.
My commitment is for no woman to be left behind
Digital health isn’t some optional add-on; it’s the current and future of patient-centered care, enabling efficient triage and best use of in-person healthcare resources to be allocated where it has the most impact. Without its inclusion in these recommendations, we risk leaving millions of
women behind, struggling to navigate menopause without the tools they need to advocate for their own health, which would have reduced the need for those longer consults.
This was our chance to do better and dig deep on innovative solutions, many of which are right in front of our face. It’s generational change that we need – we owe it to our grandmother’s, mother’s, sisters, aunties, wives, girlfriends, daughters and granddaughters to take decisive action. It’s time to push forward and get things done