The healthcare divide no family should face – but can be changed 

I’ve seen first-hand the consequences of health inequities – when people are forced to choose between medication or groceries. I also know what can be achieved when we remove avoidable barriers, so every person and community has a fair chance at good health.  

I have been working in health equity research since 2021. However, my passion and commitment to health equity began long before that. It has been woven into every stage of my life.  

I grew up in rural South Australia, long before iPhones, iPads, streaming services and Wi-Fi. When I was nine years old my nanna had a stroke. During her recovery, her leg was amputated due to diabetic complications. She never walked again before her passing when I was 13.  

Over those four years, I watched my family struggle, deeply affected by inequities in access to affordable, supportive, patient-centred healthcare.  

Years later, at 37, I find myself delivering my auntie’s eulogy. She lived rurally and was diagnosed with heart and kidney failure. Just three days after her diagnosis she passed away. Sadly, hers is not an isolated story but one of many that have shaped my understanding of how inequities can shorten lives and leave families asking whether things could have been different.  

As a researcher, I am privileged to work directly with communities, hearing their experiences first hand. I meet people who sleep rough in metropolitan locations so they can access specialist healthcare. I have heard from families who were forced to choose between filling prescriptions or buying groceries.

I listen as communities describe the gradual loss of essential services, diminished opportunities and the constant challenges in accessing the most basic supports. These experiences, both personal and professional, have reinforced a simple truth for me – health inequities are neither inevitable nor unavoidable. They are the product of decisions, systems and structures that can, and must, be changed. 

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Health equity is often confused with health equality, yet they are fundamentally different concepts. Health equality treats everyone the same, providing identical resources, opportunities or treatment regardless of need. For example, everyone paying the same out-of-pocket fee to see a GP,........

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