General News
13 September, 2022
Make use of local services available
DURING Women’s Health Week Timboon and District Healthcare Service (TDHS) women’s health nurse Amanda Nash reminded local women to take full advantage of services on offer.
DURING Women’s Health Week Timboon and District Healthcare Service (TDHS) women’s health nurse Amanda Nash reminded local women to take full advantage of services on offer.
Mrs Nash recently returned to volunteering her nursing skills internationally in Fiji after a two-year break due to COVID lockdowns.
She has witnessed the challenges women in developing countries experience in obtaining healthcare, and urges people to benefit from the resources accessible in the district.
Mrs Nash volunteers for the Loloma Foundation – a California-based mission dedicated to providing sustainable medical, dental and infrastructure support to rural communities in the South Pacific.
Part of her volunteer role is to provide women’s health services as well as health education.
During Mrs Nash’s two weeks on the remote Tavenui Island her role alternated between providing cervical screening and delivering Days for Girls education.
“Cervical cancer is a known killer and my role for the week was, among other things, talking to young girls and women about women’s health issues including the cervical cancer vaccine,” she said.
The Day for Girls are events where girls receive education which helps break the taboos and stigma of menstruation.
Following the education session, kits are distributed to girls and women which contain reusable menstrual items, underwear, soap and a facewasher in a drawstring bag.
During this trip more than 630 women and girls attended the sessions and receivedthe kits.
Mrs Nash said 123 Pap tests and 128 examinations were also carried out duringthe visit.
“It’s a different world – many girls don’t go to school when they have their period because they don’t have the products to deal with it, so their education suffers and they become disadvantaged and so it goes on,” she said.
“They are over the moon to get these kits – it makes such a difference to their lives and I’d encourage anyone who can visit the Days for Girls website and donate or get involved by making the kids.”
Mrs Nash also took with her a box of bras TDHS staff, Timboon Opportunity Shop and members of the Port Campbell communityhad donated.
She said in scenes reminiscent of the Boxing Day Sales, the Fijian women took great joy in receiving the underwear.
Mrs Nash has volunteered in numerous countries including Fiji, Nepal and the Solomon Islands.
She said she could not stress enough how much better access to services Australians have than the countries she has volunteered in.
“It’s just a phone call away, yet people take it for granted,” Mrs Nash said.
“Sometimes it takes a bit of prompting and urging to get people to book for essential appointments including cervical screening and mammograms.”
For more information or to book an appointment at the Well Women’s Clinic contact 5558 6000 or contact the Timboon Clinic on 5558 6088.