National Women’s Health Policy Forums now underway
The Government is developing a National Women’s Health Policy, which will focus on encouraging specific health services for women and actively promoting participation of women in health decision making and management.
The Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon, commenced the consultation process for the National Women’s Health Policy in March 2009 with the release of Developing a National Women’s Health Policy: Consultation Paper.
The aim of the new National Women’s Health Policy will be to improve the health and wellbeing of all women in Australia, especially those with the highest risk of poor health; encourage the health system to be more responsive to the needs of women; actively promote participation of women in health decision making and management; and promote health equity between women.
The Policy will also emphasise prevention, health inequalities in society, and the social determinants of those health inequalities.
The National Women’s Health Policy forums will be an opportunity to discuss the issues facing the health and wellbeing of Australian women and for individuals and representative groups to be able to say what they would like included in the policy.
The metropolitan and regional National Women’s Health Policy Forums being held around Australia have just started and will take place mainly during October.
More information on the dates and times of the forums, a copy of the discussion paper, and more details about the process are available at http://www.health.gov.au/womenshealthpolicy
