Wound Awareness Week 2009 from 30 March – 5 April

Chronic wounds affect the lives of over 270,000 Australians.

In some cases, sufferers endure pain so excruciating it is barely controllable with morphine. Patients are often left bedridden and depressed and alongside their families, suffer long term hardships; emotionally, financially and physically.

Yet despite its prevalence, this health issue has been virtually unacknowledged by all levels of Government for decades.

The Australian Wound Management Association (AWMA) has been lobbying key policy makers and the general public for over a decade in a bid to bring attention to the seriousness of chronic wounds as a significant social problem which demands urgent attention.

Wound patients have continuously fallen through the cracks in terms of Government funding, forcing sufferers to pay themselves, making wound products unaffordable to the poorest members of the community.

In 2008, AWMA launched a national public awareness campaign; the Elephant in the Room Campaign. Fronted by award-winning author Bryce Courtenay, the main call to action is to sign the online petition at www.elephantintheroom.com.au

Most sufferers receive no public funding on Medicare or PBS for their treatment and have to pay for treatment out of their own pocket.

Wounds often cost on average over $200 a week in products alone over many months.

Sadly of course wounds are most likely to occur among the frailest and poorest members of the community. This social injustice is one of the main reasons Mr Courtenay has lent his support to this campaign.

“You can best judge the fairness and decency of a society by the way in which it treats its most elderly and vulnerable citizens. In a highly developed and wealthy country such as Australia these types of horrific health complaints should not be considered by policymakers as something that is unfortunate but acceptable,” says Mr Courtenay.

The purpose of the campaign is to boost the awareness of chronic wounds among the public and health professionals.

The elephant in the room that no one is talking about encapsulates the whole problem – it is a very severe problem yet does not feature in political discourse on public health.

Wounds are the elephant in the room that no one is talking about.

“The elderly need to be ensured the right and sufficient care they deserve. There needs to be a coordinated Federal approach so we ask for your support.

“If this level of ignorance continues, there is nothing stopping your grandparents, your parents or even yourself from suffering or dying from a wound. That is why we urge you to sign our online petition at www.elephantintheroom.com.au which calls upon the federal government to address this awful problem,” says Michael Woodward, President of AWMA.

Wound Awareness Week 2009 runs from 30 March – 5 April. For more information and to sign the online petition, please go to www.elephantintheroom.com.au