EP 129 Creating Health Equity in Systems/Dr Ashna Basu

EP 129 Creating Health Equity in Systems/Dr Ashna Basu

From Business In Colour by Div Pillay & Sadhana Smiles

November 9, 2025 · 41 min

About this episode

Dr Ashna Basu discusses health equity and the challenges faced by women, particularly ethnic women, in the healthcare system.

In this episode of Business in Colour we talk to Dr Ashna Basu who is a psychiatry advanced trainee in Sydney. She sits on the Board of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and is the Chair of the Young branch of the Medical Women’s International Association. Ashna has previous experience in management consulting and governance, and advocates for equity in health and society nationally and overseas. In 2024 she was invited by the President of the United Nations General Assembly to speak at the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York and in the same year was awarded the Ministry of Health’s Achievement in Health award at the NSW Young Achievers Awards.  Now you know why we had to have her on Business in Colour. This episode is jam packed with gold both personally for people of colour, women and for employers. We talk about health system challenges, like supply, demand, access, resourcing and our often low societal will to change and advocacy for others in health. What sticks with us is Ashna’s analysis of women, especially ethnic women – how we are so often the care-givers, not the receivers of care; how women tolerate…

People in this episode

Hosts: Div Pillay, Sadhana Smiles

Guest: Dr Ashna Basu

Topics covered

  • health equity
  • women in health
  • advocacy
  • system challenges
  • care-giving
  • societal norms

Keywords

  • health equity
  • women's health
  • advocacy
  • care-givers
  • societal pain
  • health system challenges
  • courageous conversations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Medical Women’s International Association, United Nations, Ministry of Health, NSW Young Achievers Awards

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