Heart check urged for over 45s
The National Heart Foundation and National Stroke Foundation have joined to urge major political parties to back a new action plan to offer regular heart checks for all Australians over the age of 45.
They want this to help cut the toll of cardiovascular disease which they say kills more people than any other illness.
Evidence from Britain suggests that such a plan could cut death rates by nearly half.
The new strategy should include banning of duty free tobacco sales, a co-ordinated plan to tackle rising obesity rates, better publicity to help people recognise the warning signs of an impending heart attack or stroke, and targets to encourage better and more timely treatment.
Heart Foundation head, Dr Lyn Roberts, said that heart disease was mostly preventable and money spent on the programs would be more than recouped in avoiding treatment costs later, saving lives and easing strain on hospitals.
She said the British program for tackling heart disease, introduced in 2000, aimed to reduce deaths by 40% in 10 years, but that this target had been achieved in five years.
