Our vision is that no child born in Australia today should die from rheumatic heart disease (RHD).
Today, we launch our 2019 Election Platform: A proposal for immediate action to prevent disease and save lives, asking all political parties to support making our vision a reality.
Rheumatic heart disease is preventable, yet over 4,500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia are living with the disease, and a further 400,000 young Indigenous people are at risk. This represents one of the highest rates of RHD in the world.
The Commonwealth Government has a unique opportunity to close the gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health by committing to end RHD in Australia. The collective experience of communities, clinicians, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, government and non-government organisations, in addition to over 20 years of research, means the knowledge and evidence base exists to plan and implement a comprehensive, evidence-based strategy.
Our Election Platform outlines the steps required at a community, jurisdictional, and national level to end RHD, and outlines a required commitment of $170 million over four years to fund community-led actions to end the disease in Australia.
Read our Election Platform in full
END RHD Election Platform – Summary
Media Contact
Kate Harford
END RHD Communications and Advocacy Specialist
T: 0402 558 465
E: kate.harford@telethonkids.org.au