The Morrison Government’s unprecedented $220 million for a 10-year Mission for Cardiovascular Health takes the next vital step forward today, with the release of the draft Roadmap for public consultation.
Cardiovascular disease is responsible for 43,500 deaths in Australia each year.
One Australian dies of cardiovascular disease every 12 minutes, with one Australian experiencing a heart attack or stroke every five minutes.
The release today of the Roadmap for public consultation will continue to focus our considerable efforts to help prevent losing loved ones to this dreadful disease.
The Mission will support Australia’s talented researchers to develop new strategies to tackle one of our biggest health challenges to improve and save the lives of Australians.
The Mission will include solutions to improve the outcomes of women with coronary artery disease and heart attack (who suffer twice the rate of death as their male counterparts), and to improve access and effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation for all Australians.
Today, I also announce the members of the Mission for Cardiovascular Health Expert Advisory Panel who are applying their experience and expertise to this important issue. They are:
- Professor Gemma Figtree (Chair), University of Sydney
- Professor Garry Jennings AO, Chief Medical Advisor, National Heart Foundation
- Professor Emily Banks, Australian National University
- Dr Ray Mahoney, CSIRO
- Mr Chris Nave, Managing Director, Brandon Capital Partners
- Ms Jennifer Tucker, Consumer Advocate, National Heart Foundation
- Professor David Winlaw, Children’s Hospital Westmead
- Professor Livia Hool, University of Western Australia
- Professor Dominique Cadilhac, Monash University
- Dr James Hudson, QIMR Berghofer
- Professor Julie Bernhardt, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
The $220 million in funding for the Mission for Cardiovascular Health is through the Morrison Government’s ground-breaking Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).
The MRFF supports our world-class Australian researchers to make discoveries, develop a global biotech industry and enable the implementation of significant changes in healthcare.
In addition to this 10-year Mission for Cardiovascular Health, we have recently allocated $35 million in funding to develop a rheumatic heart disease vaccine.
The Government also supports a range of Medicare items that cover services and tests where people may have heart disease, or are at risk of heart disease, to ensure we are tackling heart disease and heart conditions from every front.
Additionally, since 2013, the Coalition Government has provided $662.2 million for research into cardiovascular disease and $7.7 billion to subsidise medicine to treat cardiovascular disease on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
