Tuesday, September 27, 2011

ACTION releases eye-opening report on children & TB

THIS WEEK, RESULTS, as a partner in the ACTION Project, is calling attention to the neglect and has released a report, Children and Tuberculosis: Exposing a Hidden Epidemic.

TUBERCULOSIS (TB) remains among the top ten killers of children worldwide, yet virtually no public or political attention is paid to TB as a children’s health issue.


The world’s most vulnerable children are bearing the brunt of this neglect. In 2009, one million children became sick with TB and it is those who are malnourished, orphaned or living with HIV that are most likely to die from this entirely treatable and largely curable disease.

This week, ACTION is calling attention to the neglect and has released a report, Children and Tuberculosis: Exposing a Hidden Epidemic.

The report is a reminder that TB is not a disease of the past and remains a leading killer, especially of children whose underdeveloped immune systems leave them particularly susceptible.

According to Dr. Ben Marais, a leading TB specialist at The Children’s Hospital Westmead, the prevention, diagnosis and management of children with TB:

“(TB) remains a significant challenge in countries where the TB epidemic is poorly controlled. In these settings, TB is often a major unrecognized cause of disease and death in young children, while it is readily treatable.  Greater awareness must be translated into more effective models of care, backed by local political commitment to make a difference.”

It is through this eye-opening report that RESULTS hopes to call attention to the immediate need to stop neglecting TB and increase funding and research for this deadly but preventable disease to save children’s lives.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Maiden MP visit achieves great RESULTS!

Rachel Achterstraat is our ACTION Project Coordinator and recently went on her first Member of Parliament meeting in Canberra last Friday with RESULTS National Manager Maree Nutt. She wrote about her experience:

Today, I attended my first ever MP visit. In many ways this was my 'baptism by fire' because as it happens, my local Federal Member (of Warringah) is none other than Tony Abbott, Leader of the Opposition.

RESULTS National Manager Maree Nutt and I met with Mr. Abbott to discuss the premature closure of medical clinics in the Torres Strait Islands (TSI), which have been treating Papua New Guineans with tuberculosis (TB) for the past six years.

A recent decision made by the Australian Government to cut funding for these clinics has led to their forced closure.

The implications of this decision are far-reaching.

PNG patients who had previously received treatment through the TSI clinics will now be at high risk of developing Multi-Drug Resistant TB (a more vicious strain of the virus) and Australian citizens will be exposed to a significantly increased risk of cross-border transmission.

The Government has proposed that these funds should be diverted away from these life-saving clinics and funneled into a more broader health systems strentgthening approach to tackle the high rates of TB in PNG.

Whilst RESULTS is pleased that the Australian Government will be investing in health service delivery for our nearest neighbor, it is too early to tell if the proposed strategy will be of any effect.

It is also estimated that building the capacity of the PNG health system to cope with the national TB burden will take more than a decade, resulting in at least ten years of increased risk to a highly infectious and often fatal disease.

Having served previously as the Minister for Health and the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Mr. Abbott took interest in the issue. He was particularly concerned by the potential for TB to spread throughout the Australian Indigenous population in Northern Australia, and also the potential impact of increased TB transmission in a country with a high HIV/AIDS burden, such as PNG.

Mr. Abbott agreed that a short term and longer term strategy is required to address this issue and was dismayed at the shortsightedness of current plans to close the clinics.

Mr. Abbott suggested that he would write a Letter to Prime Minister Julia Gillard, outlining RESULTS recommendations and asking the Government to resume funding for the TSI Clinics. Mr. Abbott also suggested that his Minister for Indigenous Health could ask a Question of Notice to the Parliament at Question Time.

Despite first-time nerves and a few tongue-ties, I think my first MP visit was a success.

Having the ever-sharp Maree along with me was a huge support.

I believe we left with the promise of a concrete action from Mr. Abbott and the beginnings of an open dialogue with his team.




From Left to Right: National Manager Maree Nutt, ACTION Project Manager
Rachel Achterstraat, and Federal Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott.

Friday, September 9, 2011

RESULTS urges Federal Govt. to resume funding TB clinics in Torres Strait


RESULTS International (Australia) is urging the Federal Government to resume funding for medical clinics in the Torres Strait Islands.

Without these clinics Papua New Guinea nationals will not receive critical care for tuberculosis (TB) and will likely increase the chances of this highly-infectious disease spreading within Australia.

In the past, these life-saving clinics have received funding from the Commonwealth and Queensland State Governments, however the Federal Government’s decision to withdraw funding for these services means that the closure of the clinics is imminent.

The Commonwealth has stated that it would instead send $43 million in AusAID funding to PNG-based health services.

“Whilst the increase in aid funding to improve health services for TB in Papua New Guinea is welcome, lasting sustainable improvements will take years to achieve.

“This means in the short term, keeping TB clinics open in the Torres Strait is imperative.” RESULTS International (Australia) National Manager Maree Nutt today said.


According to the World Health Organisation, TB is a disease of poverty affecting mostly young adults, and in 2009 1.7 million people died from the airborne contagion worldwide.

There is also a recorded death every two hours in PNG from TB, according to the National Department of Health. 


“Let us not forget that tuberculosis is an airborne disease so it is a very real threat, not only to Torres Strait Islanders, but to Australians as well,” Ms Nutt added.


Coalition MPs such as Warren Entsch and Andrew Laming have also been outspoken on the issue, forecasting disastrous outcomes if Multi-Drug Resistant TB patients from PNG worked their way south, risking increased transmission to Australian citizens.


TAKE ACTION TODAY: Write a letter-to-the-editor to your local newspaper imploring the Federal Government to resume funding for medical clinics in the Torres Strait Islands.