New pelvic pain and endometriosis clinic for North Queensland

• The Crisafulli Government has launched North Queensland’s first integrated Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis Service at Townsville University Hospital.
• The $3.2 million service brings together specialist clinicians to provide coordinated care for women and girls living with pelvic pain and endometriosis.
• After a decade of decline under Labor, the Crisafulli Government is ensuring women and girls’ health services are properly funded - making it easier to access health services closer to home.  

Women and girls across North Queensland experiencing debilitating pelvic pain and endometriosis will now have easier access to health services, with the Crisafulli Government launching the region’s first dedicated multidisciplinary Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis Service at Townsville University Hospital. 
 
The new service creates a clear referral pathway for women and girls experiencing debilitating pelvic pain, endometriosis and related conditions, and is backed by a new $3.2 million investment.  
 
The new service introduces a “no wrong door” model, with specialist doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, pain management clinicians, sonographers, psychologists and allied health professionals working together to ensure coordinated treatment plans tailored to each patient’s needs. 
 
Previously, women and girls with pelvic pain and endometriosis often found themselves moving between multiple services with no single team coordinating their care.  
 
The $3.2 million investment is funding the establishment of the service, including more than 12 full-time equivalent positions and specialist equipment such as an advanced ultrasound machine capable of detecting deep infiltrating endometriosis and physiotherapy point-of-care ultrasound technology. 
 
This new service builds on the Crisafulli Government’s $4.4 million North Queensland Persistent Pain Management Service, which opened last year to provide a centralised home for people living with chronic pain.  

The new clinic is just one way the Crisafulli Government is delivering easier access to health services after Labor’s decade of decline, which left Queensland in a Health Crisis with soaring ramping rates and an out-of-control elective surgery waitlist.    

Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said the Crisafulli Government was ensuring women and girls’ health services are properly funded and delivered. 

“The new Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis Service will deliver timely and compassionate care for women and girls across North Queensland living with conditions that often impact every aspect of their lives,” Minister Nicholls said. 

“The Crisafulli Government has been focused on establishing important services such as this, after Labor failed to properly fund them during their decade of decline.” 
 
Member for Mundingburra Janelle Poole said the service was another practical example of how the Crisafulli Government is delivering easier access to healthcare for regional Queenslanders. 
 
"This investment by the Crisafulli Government will help ensure women and girls in North Queensland have access the right care and support sooner, closer to home, instead of experiencing long waits and disconnected care,” Ms Poole said. 
 
Member for Thuringowa Natalie Marr said women and girls deserve to have their pain taken seriously and to receive timely access to the right care and support. 
 
“This new integrated service will give local women and girls access to more coordinated specialist care closer to home, instead of having to navigate a fragmented system while living with conditions that can impact every part of their daily lives,” Ms Marr said. 
 
Pain management specialist Dr Hannah Bennett said pelvic pain looked and felt different for everyone but emphasised that if it is affecting your daily life, work, school or sleep, it’s important to seek help. 
 
“The beauty of this service is that it brings together key practitioners to review a patient’s diagnosis and plan the most effective treatment,” Dr Bennett said.  
 
Advanced laparoscopic and pelvic floor surgeon Dr Jay Iyer said the service was a significant step forward in the care and treatment of women and girls in the region. 
 
“Pelvic pain isn’t normal, and it can be highly destructive to a woman’s physical, emotional and social wellbeing,” Dr Iyer said. 
 
ENDS 

MEDIA CONTACT: Emma Morton 0410 657 890.