Category: News

NEW HEALTH SECRETARY

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This week the Prime Minister, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, and Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt MP, announced the retirement of Secretary for Health, Ms Glenys Beauchamp PSM.

Replacing Ms Beauchamp will be the nation’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy. While the announcement may have come as a surprise to some within the health sector, close observers will recall media reports that the Government’s overhaul of the public service included six Department Heads to be moved on. The Government ended up announcing five Department Heads would be moved on, leaving the sixth and last undisclosed.

Ms Beauchamp leaves behind a distinguished public service career spanning more than 30 years, including nine years at Secretary level, as well as 12 years in the ACT public service. In 2010, Ms Beauchamp received the Public Service Medal for outstanding public service forcoordinating the Commonwealth’s response to the 2009 Victorian bushfires.

Secretary-designate, Professor Brendan Murphy, will be the first medical doctor to serve as Secretary of the Department of Health in its nearly 100-year history.

In his current role as the Department of Health’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Murphy is responsible for the Office of Health Protection and Health Workforce Division. He is currently coordinating Australia’s response to the rapidly growing threat posed by the coronavirus and the health-orientated response to the bushfire disaster. Professor Murphy has held this role since his appointment in 2016 by former Secretary of Health, Mr Martin Bowles AO PSM.

Professor Murphy also serves as Australia’s Member for the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IRAC) Governing Committee and represents Australia at the World Health Assembly.

Prior to his appointment, Professor Murphy was the Chief Executive Officer of Austin Health in Victoria.

Professor Murphy is a Professor at the University of Melbourne and holds the title of Adjunct Professor at Monash University. Professor Murphy is also a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Professor Murphy previously served as the Chief Medical Officer and Director of Nephrology at St Vincent’s Health and sat on the Boards of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health and the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre.

Professor Murphy also served as the Independent Chair of Health Services Innovation Australia and is a former President of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology and former Deputy Chair of Health Workforce Australia.

Since joining the Department of Health in 2016 as the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Murphy has been active in tackling key issues facing the health sector and in particular within the pharmaceutical sector. Most notably, Professor Murphy used his position to tackle the overprescribing of opioids by sending out warning letters to 4,800 GPs found to be prescribing opioids excessively.

Professor Murphy was criticised by some GPs for his direct and blunt approach to the opioid issue and it remains to be seen if Professor Murphy will continue a similar approach as Secretary of the Department of Health.

Throughout his tenure in the Public Service, Professor Murphy has enjoyed bipartisan support in his 40-year involvement in the health sector.

SUMMER ROUND-UP

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]With this in mind, here is our ‘summer round-up’ to ensure that you are on top of the notable events in global politics.

Starting here at home, Australia has been chiefly focussed on the large number of bushfires ravaging the country, with a number of lives lost and millions of hectares of land burnt out. The situation has become so dire that 3,000 army reservists have been drafted in to fight fires across the country. In addition, the Government has already started looking forward to the recovery process with its commitment to establish a $2 billion National Bushfire Recovery Agency to assist with the rebuilding of communities affected by the fires. Former Australian Federal Police Chief, Mr Andrew Colvin has been appointed as the head of the new National Bushfire Recovery Agency for an initial two-year term.

In addition, there has been a worldwide response to the bushfires, with celebrities, including those from outside of Australia, donating to the recovery efforts. So far, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban and Pink have all donated to the recovery efforts. In addition, a variety of sports stars are donating to the recovery efforts, with Australian tennis stars, Nick Kyrgios and Ash Barty, spearheading the efforts by donating every time they serve an ace.

The most notable fundraiser so far has been Australian comedian Celeste Barber, who has over $41 million through her Instagram post on Friday 3 January 2020. She launched her fundraising effort with footage of her NSW South Coast-based mother-in-law, Joy Robin, who was caught up in the fires. If you would like to donate to the bushfire recovery efforts, News.com.au has published an excellent article outlining all the charities that are working to help the volunteer firefighters, victims of the fire and those looking to help the wildlife. You can read this article here.

Tensions are currently rising between the United States and Iran, with the United States killing Iranian General, Qasem Soleimani, in a drone strike. US President, the Right Honourable Donald Trump has defended the US’s action, stating that the General was ‘plotting imminent and sinister attacks’. The Iranian Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has indicated that there will be repercussions following the US’s attack, stating that ‘severe revenge awaits the criminals’. World leaders, including Australian Prime Minister, the Hon Scott Morrison MP have called for calm between the US and Iran. At this time, it is unclear as to what this will mean for Australian soldiers currently stationed in Iraq, who are reportedly close allies of Iran, with troops likely to either be withdrawn or see our commitment in the Middle East further increase.

The tensions in Hong Kong failed to quell over the Christmas break, with protesters clashing with police during protests on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Following the clashes, China has replaced its Hong Kong envoy, with Luo Huining being appointed as the head of China’s liaison office in Hong Kong. Despite this, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, continues to have support from mainland China. This means that it is likely that the protests will be continuing well into the New Year.[/vc_column_text][vc_zigzag][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

THESE INSIGHTS WERE PROVIDED BY THE TEAM AT NEXUS PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

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$5 Million for Bushfire Related Health Research

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The medium-term health effects of the recent bushfires will be studied under two major research streams commissioned by the Government.

The Government will provide $5 million in total from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) under an open and competitive grant round.

  • $3 million for research into the physiological impacts of prolonged bushfire smoke exposure.
  • $2 million for research into the mental health impacts of bushfires on affected communities.

This research will collect information on the biological, psychological and behavioural impacts of prolonged exposure to bushfire smoke.

The data and evidence gathered will help to understand the lived experiences and coping strategies of people and communities heavily affected by bushfires.

Measures undertaken to reduce exposure to smoke and the effectiveness of the exposure reduction methods will also be studied.

Outcomes of this research will support the development of individual and community resilience strategies into bush fire preparedness planning.

It will also inform policies for preparing and responding to future bushfire events.

The mental health research funding will support long term tracking of individuals, communities, and in particular emergency service personal who have been in the fire effected areas.

This announcement follows the Government’s comprehensive $76 million mental health support package for those impacted by the current bushfire disaster.

The grant round will open Friday, 17 January 2020 and closes Friday, 31 January 2020.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

2 MILLION AUSSIES DUMP PRIVATE HEALTH COVER AS PRICES SOAR

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Medical Technology Association of Australia CEO Ian Burgess – who commissioned the research – said premium costs, value for money and out-of-pockets were by far the main reasons behind the mass exodus.

Mr Burgess said there was also bad news for the 11 million Australians still covered by private health insurance, with the cost of their policies set to increase between $50 and $300+ in 2020.

He said it was further proof the ‘Big 4’ health funds – Medibank, Bupa, HCF and NIB – were not passing on savings from recent medical device price cuts, which fell on average 14 per cent in recent years, saving insurers $390 million.

“Over the past decade the ‘Big 4’ health insurers increased their premiums at a faster rate than national house prices, while banking billions in profits,” Mr Burgess said.

“This is despite the fact private health funds have not paid one extra cent for medical devices in recent years.

“Each of these two million Australians dumping their private health cover is an extra person joining our already overcrowded public hospital system.”

Mr Burgess said the Federal Government’s ongoing work trying to improve ‘value for money’, ‘affordability’ and ‘shopping around’ risked “coming to nothing” if younger generations and families continued to drop out of private health insurance because of ongoing price increases.

“The only answer left is for prices to go below zero next premium round. That means an actual premium decrease

– not a ‘lower’ increase.

“It’s time for the government to step in and save private health from itself.”

Research undertaken by YouGov Galaxy for MTAA found an estimated 2.23 million Australians no longer held private health cover, despite previously being covered in the past five years.

Respondents nominated ‘cost of premiums’ (64%); ‘lack of value for money’ (50%); and ‘out of pockets’ (31%) as the leading reasons, compared with ‘prefer the public system’ (21%); ‘do not believe in private health insurance’ (11%); and no longer required or eligible due to ‘change in personal circumstances’ (11%) or ‘government rules’ (5%).

Mr Burgess said the findings gave a rare insight into the real “churn and burn” of private health insurance coverage and called for greater transparency in the figures released to the public.

Currently insurers and government only publicly release the ‘net’ change in coverage – the difference between the number of people signing up and dropping out – while keeping the total number of Australians cancelling health cover secret.

A recent Alpha Beta report identified $1 billion worth of efficiencies that could reduce private health prices by up to 20 per cent within 3 years if government adopted them now.

 

2020 PHI Premium

Increase (Avg)

 $1500 $3000 $5000 $7500 $10000 Past Decade

(2010-2019)
Industry Avg 2.92% $1,544 $3,088 $5,146 $7,719 $10,292 71%
Medibank 3.27% $1,549 $3,098 $5,164 $7,745 $10,327 72%
Bupa 3.26% $1,549 $3,098 $5,163 $7,745 $10,326 68%
HCF 3.39% $1,551 $3,102 $5,170 $7,754 $10,339 73%
NIB 2.90% $1,544 $3,087 $5,145 $7,718 $10,290 78%

*Source MTAA Analysis of Department of Health Data

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Galaxy Plc. Total sample size was 1042 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 28 Nov 19 – 1 Dec 19. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Australian adults (aged 18+). It found 1 in 4 (25%) of respondents previously held private health insurance, but no longer did – half of which (47%; 1 in 8 overall) reported dropping their health cover in the past 5 years. This equates to 2.23 million Australians.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

$14.7 Million for Innovative Medical Projects

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Federal Government has announced it is investing more than $14.7 million in these projects through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), comprising $8.9 million through the BioMedTech Horizons (BMTH) program and more than $5.8 million through the Biomedical Translation Bridge (BTB) program.

The BMTH program is a $45 million government initiative, made possible through the Strategic Agreement between MTAA and the Federal Government, that aims to move technologies to proof-of-concept and commercial development.

As part of the second funding round of the BMTH program $8.9 million will be invested in nine projects:

  • Cyban Pty Ltd, Victoria, is developing a novel brain pulse oximeter to monitor brain oxygen levels following traumatic brain injury.
  • Macuject Pty Ltd, Victoria, is developing artificial intelligence-based clinical decision support software for intravitreal management of age-related macular degeneration.
  • PolyActiva Pty Ltd, Victoria, is developing sustained release ocular implants for delivery of steroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications to the eye for the prevention and treatment of macular oedema.
  • Enlighten Imaging Pty Ltd, Victoria, is developing a novel hyperspectral retinal imaging platform for next generation artificial intelligence diagnostics.
  • Kunovus Technologies Pty Ltd, New South Wales, is developing an elastomeric motion-preserving implant to treat lumbar spine osteoarthritis as an alternative to fusion.
  • IDE Group, New South Wales, is developing a control sleeve for intravitreal injection systems.
  • IntelliDesign Pty Ltd, Queensland, is developing portable bedside low field magnetic resonance imaging.
  • WearOptimo, Queensland, is advancing cardiac microwearables for rapid, minimally-invasive personalised cardiovascular medicine.
  • Advanced Genetic Diagnostics Pty Ltd, Western Australia, is developing genetic tests to identify people at high risk of heart disease.

Industry is backing the BMTH projects by providing $10.6 million in matching contributions.

The BTB program is a $22.3 million initiative that will fund up to $1 million in matched funding to nurture the translation of new therapies, technologies and medical devices through to proof of concept.

Eight projects will share in more than $5.8 million in the first funding round of the BTB program:

  • AdAlta Limited, Victoria, has identified a therapeutic i-body protein, a class of next generation antibodies that demonstrates potent anti-fibrotic properties, and is being developed for the treatment of the lung fibrosis condition Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF).
  • DBS Technologies Pty Ltd, Victoria, is developing an innovative device providing adaptive deep brain stimulation for people with Parkinson’s disease.
  • MecRx Pty Ltd, Victoria, is developing novel, small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of lung cancer.
  • University of Melbourne’s Melbourne Dental School, Victoria, is progressing a novel dental implant to commercialisation.
  • The Australian National University, Australian Capital Territory, is developing rapid and objective eye and brain testing for better management of ophthalmic and neurological diseases.
  • SpeeDx Pty Ltd, New South Wales, is seeking to commercialise its ResistancePlus® MABSC/MAC test, a rapid in vitro diagnostic tool to accurately and quickly identify bacterial infections related to cystic fibrosis, while using gene markers to predict antibiotic susceptibility or resistance.
  • Vast Bioscience, Queensland, is developing 3D small molecule sodium channel inhibitors for the treatment of postsurgical pain.
  • Noisy Guts Pty Ltd, Western Australia, has developed a non-invasive acoustic belt that uses artificial intelligence to decode gut noises to accurately diagnose and monitor common gut disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Industry is providing an additional $14.6 million in support of the BTB projects.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

New research to tackle Australia’s two biggest killers

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Government’s investment will support innovative, high quality, collaborative research that focuses on prevention, early-intervention, treatment and survivorship of heart disease and stroke.

This round will focus on three priorities:

  • Preventing heart disease and stroke.
  • Improving survival rates after an acute heart or stroke event.
  • Improving survival after a cardiovascular event or stroke and preventing a recurrence.

In 2018, ischaemic heart disease killed 17,533 Australians and cerebrovascular diseases (stroke) killed 9,972 Australians.

However, cardiovascular disease is an area in which Australia can boast strong recent successes, with deaths falling by almost 70 per cent over the past three decades.

Much of this success has been achieved through improvements in the prevention, detection and management of the disease.

The Government has committed to a strong research agenda to find more effective methods for preventing, treating and managing heart conditions and, ideally, a cure.

More than $1.7 billion has been invested in clinical research into cardiovascular disease through National Health and Medical Research Council grants since 2000.

The Government is now investing $220 million from the $20 billion Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) for the dedicated 10-year Cardiovascular Health Mission.

The Mission aims to improve health outcomes through prevention strategies and earlier detection for patients suffering a heart attack or stroke.

It will support Australian researchers to make game-changing discoveries, develop a global biotech industry and enable the implementation of changes in health care.

Grants open on 13 December 2019 and will be managed by the National Health and Medical Research Council. For more information on how to apply, visit GrantConnect.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Australia’s most authoritative healthcare data report published

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The increased uptake of manipulation during birth and a much higher restraint rate for mental health patients indicates changes in health care provision in these two key health areas.

The latest healthcare trends across 20 sets of key clinical indicators have been reported in the new Australasian Clinical Indicator Report 2011 – 2018 (20th edition), or ‘the ACIR’ published today by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS).

As Australia’s most statistically-detailed, national report on the performance of 656 healthcare organisations (HCOs) the ACIR covers an eight-year period and gives a comprehensive statistical overview of the results for each clinical indicator (CI) set. This assists health care services to understand their own level of performance within a national context.

The ACIR remains the longest-run indicator set in the world, consistently capturing data and measured trends over 26 years.

Key improvements reported include:

  • In 2018, there were 104 CIs (a 20% increase) which showed statistically significant positive trends. Of these, 63 remained significant after allowing for changes in the composition of HCOs contributing. There were eight CI sets that had an improvement in at least two-thirds of all trended CIs. They were; Anaesthesia and Perioperative Care, Day Patient, Emergency Medicine, Gynaecology, Infection Control, Intensive Care, Paediatrics and Rehabilitation

Notable deteriorations where the potential to make improvements exist included:

  • In 2018, there were 40 CIs which showed statistically significant trends in a negative direction. Of these, 18 remained significant after allowing for changes in contributing HCOs including:
    • Gastrointestinal Endoscopy – the rate of patients transferred or admitted for an overnight stay due to aspiration has deteriorated from 0.022 to 0.035 per 100 patients since
    • Maternity – the rate of selected primipara (women who give birth once) with intact perineum has decreased from 19.7 to 10.9 per 100
    • Mental Health – the rate of physical restraint has increased nearly threefold from 1.3 to 5.6, a change of 4.2 per 100 completed

ACHS President, Professor Len Notaras AM said that the value of the overall data increases each year. “We are fortunate to have this asset which builds a clear understanding of where clinical improvements as well as deteriorations are occurring.”

“It provides an immense opportunity for health care services to assess their own performance and compare how they are performing at a national level with their peers,” he said.

“There is no other comparable dataset in the world which has the statistical depth of more than a quarter of a century to it. ACHS continues to invest in the most authoritative report on performance achieved up to 2018 for the health services with nearly 29,000 data submissions.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Private Health: Who Benefits?

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In quoting the statistic that, currently 60% of surgeries that are performed in private hospitals, AMA President, Tony Bartone, emphatically answered the question as to whether a private component to the healthcare system is needed. Even with this level of activity, public hospitals are ‘fighting a losing battle when it comes to waiting lists and resources’.

Dr Stephen Duckett, Director Health Program, Grattan Institute, offered three policy options for the Government to (1) directly support private health care, (2) support via private health insurance (PHI) or (3) do not support at all (the ostrich approach).

During the panel session, Dr Rachel David, Chief Executive Officer of Private Healthcare Australia, contended that if Government incentives to join a health care fund were removed, the savings would ultimately be spent in servicing the increasing demand on the public health system. Dr Duckett has modelled behaviour associated with PHI and has found that if the, now means tested, 30% premium rebate was removed, the over 65 year old cohort would continue to buy coverage, as they get value. This was echoed by Dr Bartone who noted that while young people are dropping out of PHI; older Australians are commencing cover despite the Life Time Health Cover loading as they are claiming above the average.

Despite the incongruence of taxpayer funded support for businesses that operate to make a profit, Dr Bartone felt that health funds should return more revenue to members. “There must be a minimum amount returned to the health consumer for every dollar going in,” he said. 

The perverse impact of Government attempts to control costs by means testing and freezing rebates, resulting in higher out-of-pocket charges being borne by patients, was not lost on the speakers.

Although Bartone insisted that increased transparency of costs and fees will help promote efficiency and build confidence in the healthcare system, despite being inundated with information and data, the differing viewpoints lead to the conclusion that health is contestable. Health numbers matters.

Interestingly, the raft of changes to simplify PHI announced by Minister Hunt in 2017, were not touched upon. Funds have until April 2020 to introduce the reforms including coverage by tiers (Gold, Silver, Bronze or Basic).

PHI challenges are multifactorial, and as such we need all stakeholders to contribute to efforts to find solutions. Even if we have a good, not perfect healthcare system, reform is necessary and we shouldn’t be afraid of pursuing it.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Edwards Lifesciences Foundation awards almost $250,000 in grants

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]At Edwards Lifesciences, we believe that through our actions we will become trusted partners with customers, colleagues, and patients – creating a community unified in its mission to improve the quality of life around the world.

To help facilitate the event we were pleased to welcome both our Federal Member of Parliament, John Alexander OAM, MP and NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Health, the Hon Natasha Maclaren-Jones MLC.

Since its inception, the Foundation has gifted more than $87 million to non-profit organizations across the globe. The focus is on supporting underserved heart valve and critically ill patients, as well as strengthening the communities in which Edwards employees live and work.

This year the Foundation awarded over $14 million to charities in over 40 countries. Originally estimated to reach 1 million underserved people by 2020, the Every Heartbeat Matters community exceeded the goal early, and, in September 2018, raised it to 1.5 million people.

First time recipient of funding from the Foundation, Red Dust, an Indigenous organization that believes good health is the key to a bright future and that health outcomes can only be made possible through a two-way exchange with communities.

CEO of Red Dust, Scott Stirling said:

“We thank and welcome the Edwards Foundation for our work to enrich lives, improve health and strengthen the future of Indigenous youth and families. The funding will allow us to work in partnership with Edwards and with remote communities to improve health knowledges through our Healthy Living Program, especially around rheumatic heart disease.”

HeartKids, the only charity funding vital research and providing family support to the eight babies born every day with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) was the recipient of almost $11,000 from the Every Heartbeat Matter grant. Currently, over half of all beds in paediatric intensive care are filled with these babies and CHD is the biggest killer of babies in Australia, sadly four lives are lost every week.

Director of HeartKids, Jayne Blake said:

“The Edwards Lifesciences Foundation have been enormously generous supporters of HeartKids for many years, in the form of donations, grants and support of HeartKids campaigns and events.

“This grant will be used towards the national CHD Registry that is being developed, to generate the knowledge needed to better understand the true burden of the disease.”

Member for Bennelong, John Alexander OAM, MP said:

“We’re very lucky in Bennelong to have companies like Edwards Lifesciences who are so keen to make generous contributions to the community. The organisations we saw last week represent some of the best causes in Australia, and it is wonderful to see them supported in this way.”

Managing Director of Edwards Lifesciences ANZ, Pat Williams said:

“Our commitment to charitable giving and participation in philanthropic causes is one of the defining elements of our culture. We feel fortunate to be able to support many health- and community-focused programs through grants to non-profit organizations from the Edwards Lifesciences Foundation. Locally we’re proud that 97% of our employees undertook volunteering activities in our communities this year with an aspiration of 100% participation each year.”

Highlights from the charities include:

  • National Heart Foundation of Australia – the funds will go toward rolling out its new online screening capacity to help improve patient pathways to treatment.
  • Pancare Foundation – expand its Patient Support Days to patients and their carers who are newly diagnosed, going through treatment or just post treatment so they are receiving the very best care and information at the early stage of their diagnosis.
  • Ronald McDonald House, Western Sydney – open 365 days of the year it allows families to remain connected, and parents/carers can better communicate with their child’s medical specialists. Families form relationships with other parents going through similar experiences with staff and volunteers providing invaluable personal support throughout their stay.
  • The Exodus Foundation – the funds will help towards preparing up to 800 healthy and nutritious meals for Sydney’s homeless and marginalised every day of the year and this will increase to 2000 on Christmas Day.
  • Wairoa School – to replace the current person hoist in the school’s hydrotherapy pool area to enable students and community members who have physical disabilities to enter the pool in a safe and dignified manner.
  • Youth Off The Streets – the funds will go towards the National Scholarship Program to provide financial and practical support to one of 22 disadvantaged students lacking support networks and resources to fulfill their potential.
  • Auckland City Mission – the funds will go towards the Calder Health Centre to bring health care services to some of the most marginalised Aucklanders, many of whom have extremely high and complex health needs.
  • Friends of Fiji Heart Foundation – carries out its annual mission with a team of approximately 70 to 90 medical professional who volunteers their time from New Zealand and abroad to provide free open-heart surgery to poor and needy individuals of Fiji.
  • Open Heart International – As a result of a 25-year investment, there are now PNG surgeons and anaesthetists who are able to provide some independent cardiac surgery. The funds will go towards helping with a new 5-year phase to expand the scope of capacity to include congenital, coronary grafting, and valve replacement surgery, as well as interventional cardiology.
  • Red Dust – the funds will go towards promoting rheumatic heart disease awareness and screening in 5 remote communities over 1 year. The community-as-family model of programming engages Aboriginal youth and families and is developed and delivered in partnership with local elders and community organisations, ensuring cultural authenticity, complementarity with existing services and opportunities for local training and employment.

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World AIDS Day, 1 December 2019 – More support for Australians living with HIV

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]It is a day for people to show their support for people living with HIV and to remember and honour those who we have lost.

In the 2019–20 Budget, the Morrison Government invested $45.4 million to implement Australia’s five National Blood-Borne Viruses (BBV) and Sexually Transmissible Infections (STI) Strategies.

These strategies will make a deep and profound difference in reducing the health impacts and stigma of BBV and STI, including HIV.

Today, I am pleased to announce that our Government will provide additional, ongoing support for people with HIV and other BBV and STI’s by extending funding to six national peak organisations, providing almost $3 million for 2020-21.

In addition, from 1 December 2019, Australians living with HIV will save more than $8,500 a year with the listing of a new combination medicine on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

It is estimated that 850 Australians with HIV will benefit from the listing of Dovato® (dolutegravir with lamivudine) on the PBS, which will provide more choice for them in how they can manage their HIV.

Effective once daily treatments such as Dovato and other new medicines can control the virus so that people living with HIV can enjoy long, healthy and productive lives.

With the PBS subsidy, people living with HIV will pay just $40.30 per script, or $6.50 with a concession card for Dovato®.

Australia continues to be a world leader in the response to HIV. The number of new HIV diagnoses today is at its lowest in nearly 20 years.

Our success is built on a model of partnership between government, people living with HIV, community based organisations, health professionals and researchers.

We are seeing more people tested for HIV and initiating treatment for HIV. There are also more people living with a suppressed viral load. In addition, improved access to HIV prevention methods, including the PBS-listed pre exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), helps reduce the number of new HIV diagnoses.

We are also looking to address stigma and discrimination.

The Eighth National HIV Strategy 2018-22, guides our partnership approach over the next four years to virtual elimination of HIV transmission by 2022.

We aim to be one of the first countries in the world to eliminate new HIV transmissions.[/vc_column_text][vc_zigzag][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”4221″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Hon. Greg Hunt MP is the Minister for Health, the Minster Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service and Cabinet, and the Federal Member for Flinders.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]