Write to your Member of Parliament

Current diagnostic methods for UTIs are inadequate and often fail to identify persistent infections.

Available treatments are frequently ineffective, leaving many patients without relief or recovery.

There is growing concern that short-course and prophylactic antibiotic use may be contributing to the rise in recurrent and chronic UTIs.

Chronic UTI remains insufficiently recognised within the Australian healthcare system.

Australia lacks nationally established diagnostic and treatment guidelines for chronic UTI.

There is a significant funding shortfall for UTI research, limiting progress in prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

No specialist clinics currently exist in Australia to manage complex or chronic UTI cases, leaving patients without expert care.

Getting an accurate diagnosis in Australia has been extremely difficult.

Current UTI testing methods are often ineffective and fail to detect persistent infections.

It’s a constant struggle to find healthcare professionals who understand or have experience with chronic UTI.

I live with ongoing pain and debilitating symptoms that severely impact my quality of life.

Too often, my symptoms are dismissed or downplayed by health practitioners, leaving me feeling unheard and unsupported.

I’ve been misdiagnosed multiple times and prescribed treatments that were not only unhelpful but sometimes made things worse.

Official recognition—acknowledge chronic UTI as a legitimate medical condition with a standardised definition.

Parliamentary Friendship Group for UTI—consider establishing a group devoted to UTI testing and treatment.

Review outdated testing and treatment—conduct a national review of current UTI testing methods and clinical guidelines.

Update guidelines and education—revise clinical guidelines and train healthcare professionals in up-to-date, evidence-based UTI care

Fund research—provide dedicated government funding for chronic UTI research, including diagnostics and treatments.

Establish specialist clinics—create multidisciplinary clinics across Australia to treat chronic and complex UTI cases.

You can send your local MP a letter via email or standard mail.

Find your local MP here: https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members

Addresses can be found at: https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Contacting_Senators_and_Members

Email: Look up the MP’s official email address via the Parliament website. Most are in this format: firstname.lastname.mp@aph.gov.au

Mail (optional): You can also print and post the letter. MPs must open and read postal mail, so it is still very effective.

Let ChatGPT do the work with the following prompts:

• Write a compelling email to my local Minister of Parliament letting them know about the pain and suffering that happens with Chronic UTI and asking them to support a national review of outdated UTI testing methods and treatment guidelines and champion dedicated funding for chronic UTI research.
• Write an email to my local Minister of Parliament letting them know about the misdiagnosis that often happens with Chronic UTI and asking them the medical profession with updated clinical guidelines and medical education
• Write a professional email to my local Minister of Parliament asking them to champion the establishment of one or more specialist treatment clinics for chronic and complex UTI, like the one in the United Kingdom’s National Health Service

Please email us or copy us into your message to your MP so we can track participation and strengthen our collective advocacy efforts. contact@chronicutiaustralia.org.au