The Hon. Greg Hunt MP
Minister for Health and Aged Care
MEDIA RELEASE
16 May 2022
$4.25 Million To Help Sick Kids Living With Heart And Lung Failure
A re-elected Morrison Government will provide $4.25 million to the Heart Centre for Children, Sydney Children’s Hospital Network for three important projects to improve the lives of children living with severe heart and lung conditions and their families.
Located at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, the Heart Centre for Children provides world class care to some of the sickest kids from around Australia, and treats more than 4,500 babies, children and adolescents with congenital heart disease each year.
The $4.25 million will support the Heart Centre for Children to:
- Develop a best practice model to support children to transition to care in their community and into their local health system and develop a care plan model for young adults to transition from children’s hospital services to adult care.
- Provide a dedicated support coordination position and telehealth to children and families as their care is managed between hospitals and jurisdictions. Support to navigate the health system will continue for children who have heart and/or lung transplants and for children and families who are unable to access organ donation.
- Continue their trial which helps children with high medical needs and their families to spend less time in hospital, including funding for a nurse who provides support for children whose primary diagnosis is a congenital heart condition and who may have other co-morbidities.
Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said the funding would ensure the Heart Centre for Children can continue the incredible work they do supporting some of our sickest children and their families.
“For some children, living with a heart condition is a life of regular hospital admissions and time spent away from their family and their community,” Minister Hunt said.
“Aside from regular heart surgeries, these children often have many other complexities that come with heart and lung failure.
“This funding will enable the Centre to provide localised support for their patients, allowing them to receive treatment in their local community, reducing the need for constant travel and making it easier for families.
“The Morrison Government is committed to ensuring that these children and their families have coordinated care so that they can spend as much of their life at home, in their community and surrounded by family.”
The Morrison Government continues to invest into our healthcare system, to ensure all Australians have access to the services they rely on.
This is a stark contrast to Mr Albanese and Labor, who when last in Government stopped listing essential medicines and treatments on the PBS, slashed funding for mental health support and tried to rip funding out of medical research.
Only the Liberals can be trusted to keep the economy strong and secure a stronger future for all Australians
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