The Turnbull Government will provide $2.5 million in medical research funding as part of the first-ever national approach to combat endometriosis.
Medical research is a key element of the National Action Plan for Endometriosis, which is focused on providing much needed support for women who face this often misunderstood medical condition.
It is estimated that one in ten Australian women experience this debilitating condition, where uterine tissue grows on the fallopian tubes, the ovaries or tissue lining the pelvis or other parts of the body.
We are determined to do more to support endometriosis sufferers around Australia.
The funding will be drawn from the Medical Research Future Fund and in the coming months we will seek grant applications from researchers which improve the treatment and diagnosis of endometriosis.
Medical experts, key stakeholders and researchers met in Melbourne recently to set the priorities for the national plan.
The Plan will be finalised later this year and once complete it will be blue print to improve the diagnosis, treatment, understanding and awareness of endometriosis.
Although we are leading this process nationally on this overdue support, we call on the States and Territory Governments to come on-board with their own funding and services commitment.
When we launched the start of the National Action Plan in December last year and at the time our commitment was to move quickly and we’re glad to already be delivering on that commitment today.
This funding is the first for 2017–18 under the Medical Research Future Fund’s Accelerated Research Program, and will support research priorities identified under the national action plan.
The Accelerated Research program was designed to stimulate targeted research in areas of identified unmet need, and by doing so nurture the development of new treatments and cures, providing hope to many Australians, with debilitating conditions.