In a radio interview with The Wire, Senator Scott Ludlam says Australia shouldn’t be funding research into totally inappropriate exercise regimes or therapy, “these remedies are actually counter-productive and dangerous”.
The Wire, an Australian community radio current affairs program, also interviewed Emerge Australia’s president, Sally Missing, and ME patient Sasha Nimmo. The Wire examines the low level of funding and asked Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council how it got funding figures wrong. Listen online here.
“Chronic Fatigue Syndrome / Myalgic Encephalomyelitis affects up to 242,000 Australians, yet research into the condition is seriously underfunded in Australia, according to Greens Senator Scott Ludlam and advocacy group, Emerge Australia. The Department of Health revealed in Senate Estimates only $1.6 million had been spent on research in Australia over the past 16 years. CFS/ME, also known as Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome, was first recognised by the World Heath Organisation in 1969, yet little progress has been made in terms of effective treatment.”
– The Wire, independent current affairs on community radio around Australia.
4 thoughts on “Australia shouldn't fund 'totally inappropriate' CBT and GET”
Hello,
These is very upsetting and we see this happening not just in Australia but everywhere. The disease has substantial imapacts and is being inappropriately addressed by government and health authorities. This is very meager funding and hopefully the NIH studies will prove this disease has biological markers…which in reality is does…we just need the evidence from a good medical association.
CBT AND GET need to be thrown out because of the harm they cause.
I hope our leaders start taking us seriously.
Hi Justin,
It is upsetting and I agree.
Thanks for commenting,
Sasha
We know that 1.6 million, in 14 years is still a gross overestimate and includes money spent on diseases other than ME/CFS.
The real figure is?????
This is a disease that costs Australia 4 billion a year!! Wake up Canberra- abandoning us is inhumane and expensive.
You say you want people off the DSP, then why are t you researching this disease??
Even basic disease management tools like using heart rate monitors, and pacing found to be
effective by many patients haven’t been quantified.
Hi Freda,
I’m in Canberra and I’m awake!
When you say ‘Canberra’, you mean the federal government who make decisions about funding. Your elected representatives from all over Australia make the decisions, get in contact with them.
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