$300,000 grant for James Cook University

Posted July 18th 2007

by DPS

Research into improving health issues associated with end of life and palliative care practices is the aim of a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant announced in Cairns by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator Brett Mason.

Associate Professor Steve Margolis, Associate Professor Komla Tsey and Dr Valmae Ypinazar and their colleagues were awarded the $295,554 grant through James Cook University.

Announcing the grant at James Cook University’s School of Medicine at Cairns Base Hospital, Senator Mason said the award would fund study into palliative care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with end-stage renal disease.

“There are significant gaps in current knowledge for providing culturally appropriate and effective palliative care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with kidney failure. This project will consider these issues in partnership with the Kowanyama Community and associated key Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander agencies,” Senator Mason said. The Royal Flying Doctor Service has a long history of providing health services to this community and is a key partner in the project along with Queensland Health.

Associate Professor Steve Margolis said that this project would provide an understanding of the issues surrounding treatment options and patient advocacy systems. It will consider the role of spirituality and quality of life in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander understanding and experience of kidney failure.

The Australian Government is committed to palliative care and to health and medical research. It understands that this unique form of healthcare must be integrated into our medical system and has allocated almost $300 million over seven years to support palliative care initiatives.

The grant to James Cook University is one of 10 research grants and 12 researcher support awards across Australia. In total, more than $3.5 million will go towards improving the quality of palliative care, informing policy development, improving clinical practice and developing researcher capacity and expertise.

The research grants are a joint initiative of the NHMRC and the Department of Health and Ageing.