Take A Stance Against Medical Research Cutbacks In Australia

The gravity of the situation cannot be understated. It is a disaster being orchestrated by policy-takers who are either too ignorant or delusional. News of the impending cuts confirmed many scientists' worst dreams and portrays Australia as being as naïve as the UK with regards to healthcare for their own people.

Why should medical research be protected? The reasons are endless which makes even thinking about cuts even more mystifying and outrageous.

Medical research saves lives. Every time you go to the doctor's, you are being treated with the fruits of decades (and centuries) of research. The current average global life expectancy is approximately 67 years of age. This compares to 30-45 years of age in early 20^th century. Such a boom is attributed mainly to the rewards of modern medicine.

Medical research in Australia is focused on the nation's greatest health problems: cancer, diabetes, heart diseases and obesity. Reducing funding will thus decrease the capacity to respond to unique healthcare needs of Australians.

But medical research is a long-term investment. Work that started ten years ago will yield improvements in healthcare very soon. But if you cancel support near the finale, you've basically blowing off those impending improvements-and you are bidding adieu to all those people who would have been cured.

Without funding, these breakthroughs would not have been made and people would have died as a result. If funding is cut now, people who can be saved will not be saved. Those people may include me, you, our families, our friends... anyone. Cutting medical research is like handing multiple death sentences.

If the government does not realize that it is spilling blood on its hands, we have to make sure that it does. We need to send them a message that cutting medical research funds is not an option nor will it ever be.

People around Australia will be rallying for research this Tuesday, 12 April. If you care about saving lives, come along and bring your colleagues, friends and family. If you can't make it, join the Twitter rally on the same day or get involved by contacting politicians who influence federal budget decisions or your local federal member.

Medical research is literally a matter of life or death. And discoveries need dollars.

For more information visit the Discoveries Need Dollars' website, twitter or facebook page.

Image credits: Discoveries Need Dollars (pdf)