In August 2008, the government announced that a Men's Health Policy would be developed by the end of 2009. A Senate Select Committee was established to consider general issues related to the availability and effectiveness of education, supports and services for men's health. The Committee advertised in the media seeking submissions and 137 were received. Public hearings were held in Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. The Committee's report was tabled in the Parliament in May 2009.

Although this definition is not universally accepted for the purposes of the exercise, the Committee has used the definition from the World Health Organization - "Health" which is  "a complete state of physical, mental, and social wellbeing not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". It is acknowledged that in world terms Australian men are long-lived but their morbidity rate is much higher than for women and therefore is an issue of concern to the whole community.

The Committee has made recommendations to ensure funding for continued and further specific research on prostate cancer, incentives for specialised training in men's health and specific Medicare funding for annual health checks for men in a range of locales - general practice, workplaces, and community health programs. It is acknowledged that health issues for men are interconnected and include physical, emotional and mental components and that any programs should take account of all these aspects. The report also deals with issues surrounding suicide and depression.

The report has made a number of recommendations, which if accepted, will have a positive effect on men's health. Of particular interest are the recommendations related to the special needs of indigenous Australians. One creative recommendation suggests that health professionals foster links with indigenous sporting groups so that young indigenous men may take more interest in their health. Issues for older men and gay men as well as boys have also been addressed in the report.

Health related grants are available from numerous sources and levels of government and applying for these grants imposes a serious burden on applicants. The committee has recommended that the Commonwealth should initiate discussions with the States and Territories to reduce the complexity of applications.

Although the Committee has not recommended the establishment of an Office of Men's Health, it does recommend that legislative drafting and administrative procedures should take account of the likely impact of these on men's health.

The report makes a significant contribution to the discussion about men's health and I recommend that professionals take the opportunity to read the report:

http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/menshealth_ctte/report/report.pdf