Wow, the talk from Greg Hunt, The Australian Federal Government Health Minister was pretty remarkable. Congratulations to the Australian ME/CFS community - you've achieved amazing things.
Here's a transcript of it.
"Welcome everybody to today's Emerge ME/CFS International Research Symposium.
We know, and you know, that myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome are major issues that can have a profound impact on individual and community life. 240,000 Australians at least have some form of ME or CFS. And, of those, a quarter can be housebound with the same impact on them as MS or any of the significant neurological conditions. So, it can be a crippling and a catastrophic diagnosis for an individual.
But it's often misunderstood, and the research is not as strong as in so many areas of our chronic conditions. So, I want to thank and congratulate everybody for being part of today.
I particularly want to acknowledge the ME/CFS community. Those from my electorate, those from around the country who have visited me within my portfolio's responsibilities and have made the case about the importance.
I agree, it's real, it's significant, it's important.
What we need therefore, is to provide opportunities for you as researchers, as professionals, to be able to deliver better results for patients. Therefore today I want to invite you to apply as part of the Medical Research Future Fund under the Clinical Trials Program to look where you believe there are treatments in different forms for patients. I think this absolutely meets the definition of an unmet need. And, secondly, to look through the Frontiers Science Programme at opportunities for a grand national project on ME/CFS.
I think this is an incredibly important area. And what we do can have an impact at the local level, for individuals and at the national level. And if Australian research leads the world, it can have an impact for patients right around the globe.
So, thank you for your work, for the individuals, for those that I've known, those that you know and for whom you care. For our broader community that can be profoundly affected by this, but also the capacity to know that your research and your discovery, whether it's through the NHMRC where they have recently established an Advisory Panel at my request for the first time to deal with this and to ensure it is given the prominence in NHMRC research analysis that it deserves, or through the Medical Research Future fund going forwards.
This is our hope and our moment and our opportunity to deal with ME and CFS on a national scale through our research opportunities in a way that has never been done before.
So, it's a moment of real hope and opportunity, backed by real funding.
I thank you and I honour you and I wish you well in your deliberations."
I think that signals a major shift. Again, well done to the Australian ME/CFS community, brilliant.
@dave30th
