We’re pleased to announce the launch of Australia’s first ever, National Strategic Action Plan for Lung Conditions. It’s a detailed, five-year plan to improve lung health in Australia, and we’re really excited. Here’s why.
What’s the plan about?
Together with lung health experts, health professionals, and over 500 patients and family members who provided feedback, we’ve put together this Action Plan to help make lung health a priority. The plan outlines how, together, we can reduce the individual and societal burden of lung conditions and improve lung health for all. It addresses the broad spectrum of lung conditions, ranging from the common cold to lung cancer.
Why does it matter?
Over the past decades, conditions like breast and prostate cancer have received funding, but many lung conditions continue to be stigmatised and drastically underfunded. In Australia, seven million people (almost one in three) live with a lung condition. That’s why we’re advocating to make lung health a priority. The report outlines six key priority areas that, together, aim to improve the lives of all Australians.
What’s next?
Thanks to a $4 million funding commitment from the Federal Minister for Health, The Hon Greg Hunt, we can start work on three of the 21 recommendations outlined in the Action Plan. But we need your continued support to champion the need for increased funding – and encourage politicians to adopt all of the recommendations from the Action Plan. We must continue to remind Australians that lung conditions are devastating, and they need our utmost care, diligence, and focus in the weeks, months and years to come.
Read the plan, tell your local MP to support it and send this message to your friends and family so they can get involved too.
With your help, we can change the face of lung health in Australia.