Federal budget 2023: The heart check that could save your life
A screening test that could save every Australian from a leading cause of death will be funded in the federal budget. See details.
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A simple test that can detect Australia’s biggest killer and prevent 76,500 heart disease has been saved from the budget axe.
The Heart Health Check was the first ever national screening program for Australia’s leading cause of death and was introduced in 2019 after a campaign by the Heart Foundation and News Corp.
However, the former government had provided no funding for the check from July this year even though deaths from heart disease are soaring in the wake of the Covid pandemic.
Health Minister Mark Butler will announce new funding for the checks in Tuesday’s budget allowing them to continue until June 30 2025.
“Heart disease is Australia’s biggest killer – one Australian has a heart attack or stroke every 4 minutes,” Mr Butler said.
“The former Government would have had these crucial heart health assessments expire on 30 June 2023 but with about 250,000 people expected receive a heart health assessment over the next 2 years, our government’s action on this has the potential to save thousands of lives,” he said.
Heart Foundation CEO David Llyod said it “shows that this is a Government that listens to Australians and understands the important role that prevention can play in saving lives from heart disease, which continues to be our nation’s leading cause of death and a major burden on our healthcare system.”
The number of heart disease deaths in Australia is soaring according to an Actuaries Institute study.
In the first eight months of 2022, around 10,200 Australians died of heart disease a figure that was 17 per cent higher than normal and experts believe it may be connected to inflammation and damage caused by the Covid.
Most Australians do not even know they carry risk factors for a heart attack.
A coalition of eight peak heart groups have been lobbying the Department of Health for months to save the Medicare rebate for the check.
Hearts4heart, Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand, Australian Cardiovascular Alliance, Baker Institute, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, The Australian & New Zealand Society of Cardiac & Thoracic Surgeons, Australian Cardiac Rehabilitation Association, Heart Support Australia warned axing the measure would see a further rise in heart disease deaths.
The groups also want the test updated to include Auscultation (where a doctor listens to the heart with a stethoscope) to check for a heart murmur.
Listening to the heart using a stethoscope can assist in identifying heart arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation and if it is detected early and treated using anti-clotting treatments the risk of stroke is reduced.
The recent tragic deaths of cricketer Shane Warne and politician Kimberley Kitching highlighted how even younger people are at risk.
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Originally published as Federal budget 2023: The heart check that could save your life
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