Annabelle says she didn’t realise how much pain she was in until something as simple as laughing hurt.
“We were in the car and Mum made a joke,” she says. “I laughed, then turned to her and said, ‘Can you not do that? It hurts to breathe.’”
The 18-year-old is neurodivergent and often struggles to articulate her pain in a way others understand. Her mother, Kylie, says that as she drove, she asked Annabelle for more detail.
“She said, ‘It hurts to breathe. I don’t like the seatbelt on my waist. I can’t stand tight pants. I can’t bend over. I can’t lie on my tummy. But other than that it’s about a two out of 10.’”
Annabelle says: “I’ve now learned that’s not what a two is.”
Annabelle, who requested her surname not be published, was eventually diagnosed with endometriosis, a chronic condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside it, causing pain and other symptoms. A laparoscopy revealed that tissue had wrapped around her bladder.
But the road to diagnosis wasn’t easy – one “brief but devastating” visit to a male GP registrar left them reeling.
“He didn’t examine her, ask questions or look at her history,” Kylie says. “As we walked out the door, he told Annabelle: ‘Most pelvic pain in women is a mental health condition. Be prepared not to get any treatment.’”
After the surgery, Annabelle was referred to Victoria’s virtual women’s health clinic, a new state government initiative run by Eastern Access Community Health.
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The clinic, which offers free 30-minute consultations for Victorian women via phone or video call, provides a range of services including cervical screenings, sexual and reproductive healthcare and specialist support for conditions such as endometriosis and pelvic pain.
For Annabelle, who also experienced trauma in her childhood, it arranged video physiotherapy sessions to help with her pain management.
“Because of my trauma, physio can be confronting, especially when it involves intimate areas,” she says. “This has been the best way to do it.”
‘An opportunity to intervene’
Kim Lucas, a nurse at the women’s health clinic, says since its launch in June, the virtual service has conducted 132 appointments, many with patients in regional and remote parts of Victoria.
“We’ve had women calling us from as far as Mildura or Swan Hill, who have said they can’t get into their GP for weeks,” Lucas says. “Most of the time, we can see them within 24 hours and they get what they need – whether it’s a script or a referral.”
A key focus initially has been providing access to medical abortions – a drug-induced termination available up to nine weeks’ gestation.
“This reduces the stigma and allows people to maintain their confidentiality – especially in some parts of the state where there is only one doctor in town or they’re a family friend.”
Lucas says despite efforts to increase abortion access, some GPs are still refusing to provide the service. This is borne out by data: a report by not-for-profit Women’s Health Victoria, published last year, found one in five local government areas had no medical abortion provider in 2023, with only 17% of Victorian GPs providing medical abortions.
“I find it quite amazing that in this day and age, some people won’t provide that service,” Lucas says.
The clinic is part of a $153m plan the state Labor government took to the 2022 election to improve healthcare access for women. It also includes a mobile women’s health clinic, 20 sexual and reproductive health hubs and the doubling of laparoscopies for endometriosis and related conditions. An inquiry into women’s pain is also expected to be made public soon.
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It’s also part of a broader strategy to relieve pressure on emergency departments, which are facing increased demand due to the ageing population, a rise in chronic and complex health conditions and a shortage of accessible – and affordable – GPs.
Virtual emergency departments have been seen as one solution, adopted by every Australian state and territory. Victoria’s launched at Northern Health during the pandemic and expanded statewide in 2022. Since then, it has fielded more than 500,000 calls. According to the service, 83% of its patients have avoided a hospital visit as a result.
Another initiative – the community pharmacy prescribing program – has allowed for the supply of medications to treat uncomplicated UTIs, minor skin issues such as psoriasis, and supply oral contraceptives without the need for a prescription since 2023. It has provided 50,000 services so far and will expand to more medications over the next two years.
While the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners opposes the pharmacy program, arguing it is a “cheap, easy ‘fix’ that doesn’t prioritise high-quality patient care”, it backs telehealth services as a “complementary” service rather than a replacement for in-person consultations.
However, it has raised concerns about a rise in “opportunistic telehealth businesses” offering treatment for conditions such as hair loss, erectile dysfunction and weight loss or quick prescriptions.
Dr Evie Kendal, a bioethicist and public health scientist specialising in emerging technology research at Swinburne University, says while virtual healthcare raises legitimate concerns around privacy and data retention, it “can be the difference between receiving healthcare information and receiving nothing at all” for many people.
“The reality is people can’t make it to the clinic, they can’t get someone to watch the kids, they don’t have access to transportation, they don’t have the money or whatever it is. It’s an opportunity to intervene and provide health information, even if it’s not a perfect solution,” Kendal says.
She says it’s especially important for women, who carry a disproportionate share of caregiving responsibilities, face greater barriers to care, and are more likely to have a chronic health condition.
“A lot of the time, women know their own bodies and they know what is wrong with them. They shouldn’t have to keep returning to a clinic, paying for another appointment and reshuffling their schedule, especially for something that is both predictable and treatable.”
For Annabelle, the most valuable part of her virtual care has been simply understanding what her body is going through.
“As someone who is autistic, logical reasoning and thinking is actually comforting. So it’s such a relief to know this wasn’t just ‘normal cramping’. Now I’ve got a team explaining why I feel certain symptoms and I’m going, ‘Yep, that’s what I’ve been saying all along.’
“It’s been validating.”
The Victorian virtual women’s health clinic is available Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, by calling 1300 003 224 or via the Each website