SYDNEY, Australia, 20 May 2024 – After four long years of waiting, last week’s announcement to
make sexual health telehealth item numbers permanent as part of the Federal Budget 2024-25 funding
is a huge win for the community.
“Stigma Health congratulates the Federal Government for taking routine sexual health accessibility
seriously and delivering funding that will help increase STI testing rates across the country -a critical step
in addition to their latest awareness campaign.” said James Sneddon, co-founder of Stigma Health,
Australia’s largest online sexual health clinic.
The announcement comes as the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) lobbied
hard for the change along with many advocates across the primary care and sexual health industry.
Surprisingly, telehealth MBS numbers for sexual and reproductive health items have been in limbo on a
temporary basis, unlike many others that were made permanent in 2022.
“The stigma around requesting an STI test as well as cost are both huge barriers for people and a
patient centred approach to how we deliver a sensitive service such as this ultimately benefits the
health of the community greatly as we have faced a tsunami of infections.” Sneddon continued.
Data from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) shows a significant spike in STI
infections between 2021 to 2023, specifically a 48 per cent increase in Victoria and a 33 per cent
increase in New South Wales.
Young people in the 15 to 29 age bracket make up the majority of these numbers.
Stigma Health offers comprehensive testing with a bulk-bill option for Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, Syphilis,
Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV. Access is available through www.stigmahealth.com or via
the Stigma Health app.