An invitation to have your say regarding barriers and gender bias women face in Australia’s healthcare system. The closing date of the survey is 13th October 2023.
Growing evidence has shown systemic issues in healthcare delivery and medical research mean women often suffer poorer health results. Women disproportionately experience delayed diagnosis, overprescribing, and a failure to properly investigate symptoms.
To better understand the barriers and bias that women face in Australia’s health system the council is asking women, girls, and people assigned female at birth, along with researchers, healthcare professionals, consumer representatives and peak stakeholder groups, to share their views in a #EndGenderBias survey.
The #EndGenderBias survey is available in 17 different languages, including English.
We invite you to share your experiences of the Australia’s healthcare system. If you (or someone you care for) have experienced access barriers or gender bias as a woman, complete the survey by 13 October 2023 to help #EndGenderBias.
National Women’s Health Advisory Council
The National Women’s Health Advisory Council provides the Australian Government with advice and recommendations to improve health outcomes for women and girls in Australia.
Take The Survey
Please visit www.health.gov.au/womens-health-advisory-council >>
Associate Professor Magdalena Simonis AM is a Past President of the AFMW (2020-2023), former President of VMWS (2013 & 2017-2020) and current AFMW National Coordinator (2024-2026). She is a full time clinician who also holds positions on several not for profit organisations, driven by her passion for bridging gaps across the health sector. She is a leading women’s health expert, keynote speaker, climate change and gender equity advocate and government advisor. Magda is member of The Australian Health Team contributing monthly articles.
Magdalena was awarded a lifetime membership of the RACGP for her contributions which include past chair of Women in General Practice, longstanding contribution to the RACGP Expert Committee Quality Care, the RACGP eHealth Expert Committee. She is regularly invited to comment on primary care research though mainstream and medical media and contributes articles on various health issues through newsGP and other publications.
Magdalena has represented the RACGP at senate enquiries and has worked on several National Health Framework reviews. She is author of the RACGP Guide on Female Genital Cosmetic Surgery and co-reviewer of the RACGP Red Book Women’s Health Chapter, and reviewer of the RACGP White book
Both an RACGP examiner and University examiner, she undertakes general practice research and is a GP Educator with the Safer Families Centre of Research Excellence, which develops education tools to assist the primary care sector identify, respond to and manage family violence . Roles outside of RACGP include the Strategy and Policy Committee for Breast Cancer Network Australia, Board Director of the Melbourne University Teaching Health Clinics and the elected GP representative to the AMA Federal Council. In 2022. she was award the AMA (Vic) Patrick Pritzwald-Steggman Award 2022, which celebrates a doctor who has made an exceptional contribution to the wellbeing of their colleagues and the community and was listed as Women’s Agenda 2022 finalist for Emerging Leader in Health.
Magdalena has presented at the United Nations as part of the Australian Assembly and was appointed the Australian representative to the World Health Organisation, World Assembly on COVID 19, by the Medical Women’s International Association (MWIA) in 2021. In 2023, A/Professor Simonis was included on the King’s COVID-19 Champion’s list and was also awarded a Member (AM) in the General Division for significant service to medicine through a range of roles and to women’s health.
