The Morrison Government is taking national action to tackle osteoporosis, a chronic condition where bones become brittle, leading to a higher risk of breaks than in normal bones.
The Government has launched the National Strategic Action Plan for Osteoporosis, coinciding with World Osteoporosis Day 2019, which calls for global action to improve awareness of the condition.
The Action Plan addresses the urgent need for a national strategic response to the challenges and burden of osteoporosis across Australia.
It will focus on increased awareness, education and prevention of osteoporosis, including improved diagnosis and management, and care of people with, or at risk of, osteoporosis.
The Government is allocating $4 million to support implementation of the Action Plan.
Of this, $3 million is being released from the Medical Research Future Fund for a pilot project for the Primary Care Fracture Liaison Service, aimed at reducing further risk of breaking bones and significantly decreasing the burden of osteoporosis.
$500,000 is being provided directly to Osteoporosis Australia, and a further $500,000 will be made available through a competitive grant to assist awareness and education work.
The Government is committed to supporting Australians experiencing osteoporosis, improving awareness of poor bone health and taking early action to prevent a broken bone.
In 2017-18, more than 1.2 million Australians self-reported that they had osteoporosis, and it is estimated a further 6.3 million people have low bone density.
Osteoporosis is more common among women, affecting 6.2 per cent of females compared with 1.5 per cent of males. As with many chronic conditions, osteoporosis is prominent among older Australians, with 86 per cent of people affected being aged 55 years or over.
Authorised by Greg Hunt MP, Liberal Party of Australia, Somerville, Victoria.
The Morrison Government understands research is the single best way to identify more
effective methods for preventing, treating and managing chronic conditions – and, ideally, for
finding cures for conditions going forward.
Osteoporosis is no exception. Since 2000, $112 million has been provided through National
Health and Medical Research Council grants to support clinical research into osteoporosis and
bone health issues.
Our Government is able to provide unprecedented levels of support to health and medical
research because of our strong economic management.
