Did you know that 1 in 7 Australians suffer with Arthritis? That's more than 3.6 Million Aussies that are dealing with this disease.
We care deeply about these particular Australians because many of our customers live with this awful disease. We hear countless stories every single day of people looking for relief.
Not only do people with arthritis not have enough access to diagnosis, care and treatment, but they face significant out of pocket costs. A recent study found median per person expenditure of $1,635 in just six weeks. Given arthritis is a leading cause of disability and early retirement, consumers are facing a double financial hit.
This is why Arthritis Australia are calling for all parties and candidates in the 2022 federal election to commit to these immediate actions to address key issues such as the costs of care and joint surgery backlogs, as well as investment in the community programs that make a real difference – supporting arthritis appropriate exercise, and care navigation.
According to the CEO of Arthritis Australia, Jonathan Smithers, they are also calling on politicians to fix the chronic underinvestment in arthritis research. Arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions have a similar burden of disease to cardiovascular disease, yet only receive one fifth of the government funding. Australia has many of the world’s top researchers in the field of arthritis, and we are losing out by not leveraging this strategic strength. By bringing investment in research up to the same level as other disease groups, they will be able to not only provide more effective treatments and the hope of a cure, but unlock major health system savings that will benefit all Australians.
Arthritis Australia has made it easy to support the #1in7withArthritis by creating this action page where you can write to your local MP and spread the word.
Take action here: Support the #1in7withArthritis
*Data taken from Arthritis Australia: https://arthritisaustralia.com.au/programs-research/advocacy-policy/1in7witharthritis/