September 1, 2009
PREVENTATIVE HEALTH REPORT WILL SAVE LIVES
Australia now has a detailed and comprehensive plan to tackle the growing wave of
chronic disease, Heart Foundation CEO - National, Dr Lyn Roberts, said today.
“The plan set out today by the National Preventative Health Taskforce provides
practical measures to tackle obesity, smoking and alcohol abuse,” said Dr Roberts,
who is also a member of the taskforce and chair of its obesity working group.
“I congratulate the Australian Government for placing prevention at the forefront of the
national health reform agenda. It has been in the shade for far too long, with just 2%
of government health spending dedicated to disease prevention and health promotion.
“It makes sense to invest more in prevention. Cardiovascular disease, for example, is
largely preventable, but costly to treat. At $6bn or 11% of health system expenditure,
it’s the most expensive disease group.
“The Heart Foundation now looks to the Australian Government to drive the report into
action, countering rising rates of obesity, doing more to drive down smoking rates and
curbing the enormous social and economic cost of alcohol abuse.
“Some action has already been taken. We applaud the Government’s commitment to
establish a national preventative health agency and strongly encourage it to be well
resourced with an independent, expert board.
“We also encourage the Australian Government – as a priority – to increase the tax on
tobacco products. The tax hasn’t increased in real terms for almost a decade and will
not only help drive down smoking rates, but also raise additional funds to drive a
renewed commitment to prevention beyond current allocations,” Dr Roberts said.
Commenting on the recommendations on food manufacturing, Dr Roberts said the
Heart Foundation supported initiatives that help people make healthier food choices.
“We strongly support food reformulation, a robust front-of-pack labelling system based
on sound principles and strong measures to protect children from inappropriate
advertising of products containing high levels of fat, sugar and salt.
“There are a number of recommendations in the report. Some can be put in place
immediately while others need a longer term approach. But it’s vital that change start
now if we are to reduce the future burden of chronic disease, including Australia’s
leading killer, cardiovascular disease.
“The Heart Foundation commits itself to keep working with government to save life
and reduce suffering by preventing the onset of cardiovascular and other forms of
chronic disease,” Dr Roberts said.
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About the Heart Foundation:
This year the Heart Foundation marks its 50th anniversary as Australia's leading voice on
heart health. The Heart Foundation saves lives and improves health through funding world-
class cardiovascular research, guidelines for health professionals, informing the public and
assisting people with cardiovascular disease.
As a charity, the Heart Foundation relies on donations and gifts in Wills to continue its
lifesaving research, education and health promotion work. For further information visit
About Dr Lyn Roberts:
Dr Lyn Roberts has been CEO - National of the Heart Foundation of Australia since 2001 and
is Vice President of the World Heart Federation. Dr Roberts is a member of a number of
expert advisory committees for the government and non-government sectors including the
National Preventative Health Taskforce. She is Chair of the Taskforce’s Obesity Working
Group.
For further information please contact:
Siobhan O’Neill, PR Manager: Mobile 0418 171 527, Desk (03) 9321 1536
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