The Medical Research Future Fund is key to delivering a healthier Australia
Statement from Professor Vlado Perkovic, Executive Director, The George Institute Australia:
The Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) is an opportunity to catapult transformative change across the health system for the benefit of all Australians.
The George Institute supports the MRFF as a mechanism for greater focus on effective research translation, improved healthcare delivery and evidence-based clinical practice.
The MRFF can and must play a central role in bolstering research and innovation impact.
To do this, The George Institute submission (PDF 174KB) to the Australian Medical Research and Innovation Strategy makes the following specific recommendations:
- Grow capacity in clinical trials to address the knowledge gap in healthcare delivery and health system efficacy, and to identify the most effective ways to prevent and treat our biggest burdens of disease.
- Dedicated funding to identify how to effectively get people the healthcare they need and ensure research is embedded in the health system.
- Address imbalances in researcher funding and leverage full potential of Australia’s rich and diverse pool of medical and health expertise.
These are essential ingredients to effectively answering some of the most important health questions of our time and creating a cost-effective, efficient and quality health system, and should be prioritised by the MRFF.
Chronic diseases and injury are our biggest killers and cause of disability in Australia, yet over 30 percent of the burden of disease is preventable. There is a major knowledge gap about the most effective ways to get people preventative care and treatments proven to have major health benefits. This leaves many people without the treatments they need; or in some cases, people getting ineffective or even harmful treatments.
More investment in research and expertise is needed to address this gap and ensure all Australians have access to the best care, when they need it.
The MRFF is visionary. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to target research where the need is urgent and the rewards are greatest. The MRFF will save lives and help deliver a healthier Australia, and we look forward to its implementation.
