Green whistles for IUD insertion among SA Labor's promises to support women's health
SA Labor has promised to offer the green whistle for IUD procedures at public outpatient clinics. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)
In short:
The South Australian government is promising greater pain relief for women having an IUD inserted.
The election commitment was made 12 months after a parliamentary inquiry laid out a raft of issues women had accessing appropriate healthcare.
What's next?
The Liberals say Labor's pledges should be taken with a "massive bag of salt" given ramping hours have increased despite a 2022 promise to "fix" it.
Women getting intra-uterine devices inserted in public clinics could soon be offered green whistles as pain relief as part of South Australian Labor's promise to take women's healthcare more seriously if re-elected.
Premier Peter Malinauskas announced a returned Labor government would open five new clinics specifically focused on women's health to provide fertility, contraception, endometriosis and menopause care.
Three clinics have been promised across metropolitan Adelaide and a further two in the regions, but the specific locations have not been settled ahead of a tender process.
The election promise, on the eve of International Women's Day, was part of a $33 million policy suite targeted at women which included a $1.3 million endometriosis and pelvic pain awareness campaign and an already announced scheme to offer IVF rebates.
Five specialised clinics are among SA Labor's healthcare pledges. (ABC News)
The commitment came a year after SA's parliament laid out a series of problems women had accessing appropriate healthcare, including for endometriosis.
Contraception expert Danielle Mazza from Monash University said SA's announcement followed a similar move by Victoria last year after women across Australia raised concerns about insertion pain.
Professor Danielle Mazza says pain management during IUD procedures is important. (Supplied)
"Having additional options to offer women in relation to managing the pain of IUD insertion is really important," Professor Mazza said.
While green whistles are available for some IUD procedures, the government said they were currently not provided in public clinics.
SA Liberal leader Ashton Hurn said she was supportive of the initiatives to help endometriosis but wanted more details, including clinic locations.
Federal government services gap
In unveiling the plans Mr Malinauskas pointed the finger at his Canberra counterparts for not committing enough funding to women's health clinics.
He noted that while the federal government has opened two South Australian endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics, a gap in services remained.
"The short answer is yes," he said.
"But … it is the federal Labor government that is the first to actually do something at all."
He said there was a "need to do more" to support primary healthcare.
"I don't want to lead a government that just points the finger at the Commonwealth. People want to see problems addressed and if we can do something we should," he said.
Peter Malinauskas announced a $33 million election package to improve women's healthcare. (ABC News)
The pointed remarks built on tensions with the federal government over the number of aged care patients ready for discharge but stuck in hospital because they do not have the necessary help to leave — whether that is an available nursing home spot or more support at home.
Aware of the pressure it is putting on the rest of the health system, including ramping hours, Mr Malinauskas last month announced plans for 1,300 new aged care beds.
"Aged care is exclusively the responsibility of the Commonwealth but … the hospital system is held back through a lack of aged care," he said.
Among the Liberal Party's health commitments is a promise for 250 new beds across five centres to help transition patients out of hospital.
Libs take aim at ramping promise
Mr Malinauskas has been under pressure over the past four years to explain why the number of hours ambulances have spent ramped has shot up under his watch.
This was despite pledging to "fix" the ramping crisis at the 2022 campaign.
In March 2022, when he swept to office, ambulances spent 2,711 hours ramped. The latest figures from January showed that had risen to 3,673 hours after peaking at 5,866 hours in July.
Defending the government's record, Mr Malinauskas pointed to ambulance response times improving throughout his term.
While that is true, the target of 90 per cent of priority two cases being reached within 16 minutes has fallen well short at about 60 per cent.
Ms Hurn said Labor's record was "really disappointing" for South Australians.
"I've been encouraging people to really take every single promise that the premier makes with a massive bag of salt," she said, because "ramping is just through the roof".
"I think he's got a bit of an integrity issue on this front. It's a bit pathetic really," she said.