February 18, 2015 Print
The executive director of WMI, Professor Tony Cunningham, has collaborated with other leaders of Australia’s medical research sector to publish an opinion piece in support of the proposed Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).
The executive director of WMI, Professor Tony Cunningham, has collaborated with other leaders of Australia’s medical research sector to publish an opinion piece in support of the proposed Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).
Published in the February edition of the Medical Journal of Australia, the article states the case for a perpetual fund which would increase our national spending on medical research to a percentage of our GDP that more closely matches the average spent by OECD countries.
Professor Cunningham and his co-writers argue that the MRFF “offers substantial value to Australia” based on international evidence that hospital and health care facilities which incorporate medical research deliver higher-quality care, better patient outcomes and are more efficient.
They argue that undertaking research specifically relevant to Australia’s health needs will ensure that improvements in health care are implemented more quickly and effectively, reducing costs.
The authors assert that this approach “ belies the proposition that it makes more sense to spend our limited public funds on health care.”
Click here to read the full text article in the Medical Journal of Australia.