Medical researchers slam Howard's lack of support

On the eve the Federal election, some of Australia' most famous medical researchers have signed an open letter to Prime Minister John Howard and Opposition Leader Mark Latham asking them to increase funding for medical research.

In a letter to be published in The Australian this Friday, titled "Who is looking after Australia's long-term health", 16 luminaries of medical research, warned that a doubling of funding for medical and health research grants made by the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia now lies at the lower end of the spectrum for medical research expenditure by OECD countries.

Signatories included Nobel laureate immunologist Professor Peter Doherty, bionic ear pioneer Professor Graeme Clarke, and Professor Sir Gustav Nossal, Australian of the Year in 2000.

Other signatories included the directors of Australia's leading medical research institutes: Professor Suzanne Cory (Walter and Eliza Hall, Melbourne), Professor John Shine (Garvan, Sydney), Professor Judith Whitworth (John Curtin, Canberra), Professor Fred Mendelsohn (Howard Florey, Melbourne), Professor Bob Williamson (Murdoch Children's, Melbourne) and Professor Patrick Holt (Telethon Child Health, Perth).

Peter Wills, AC, chair of the Health and Medical Research Strategic Review, and a personal friend of Prime Minister Howard, also signed the letter.

Associate Professor Andrew Sinclair, president of the medical research community's peak body, the Australian Society of Medical Research (ASMR), who signed the letter, said that both Government and Opposition policy statements in the lead up to the Federal election had been "sadly lacking" in terms of any vision for medical research.

"We're asking both major parties to present their policy vision, and make some forward commitments to health research," he said.

Sinclair said while the Howard Government's double of funding for the NHMRC had been "much needed", it had only succeeded in only allowing Australia to catch up temporarily with other OECD nations.

Since then, most OECD nations had also doubled their own funding, so Australia again lagged well behind.

Sinclair said the letter would point out that Australia was among the world's leading research nations in areas like immunology, cancer, diabetes, stem cells, public health, and medical devices like the bionic ear.

"The Access Economics report the ASMR commissioned in 2003 showed that Australia's rate of return on Commonwealth funds invested in medical research is extraordinarily high - at least $5 for every dollar invested," Sinclair said.

With the rapid rise in the median age of the Australian population, healthcare costs were rising. "One of the ways to save costs is to put more money into health and medical research.

"Increased funding for medical research will also help us deal with critical threats to public health like SARS, bird 'flu and bioterrorism, and help us to build a competitive knowledge economy.:

Sinclair said that, over the past five years, the ASMR had worked with Research Australia and the Association of Medical Research Institutes to lobby the Federal Government to increase funds for medical and health research.

"Everyone, including the politicians we've spoken to, says we've made a very strong case.

"The Federal Health Minister, Tony Abbott, launched his own review of investment in health research early this year. He hasn't released its findings - we wonder why?"

AAP reported today that, when approached to comment on the as yet-unpublished call for an increase in research funding, Prime Minister Howard had replied, "If you have adequately resourced something then you have adequately resourced it."

Howard had also said the government's recent boost for medical research funding was one "one of our proudest achievements".

Sinclair said the medical research community had been deeply offended by the Prime Minster's recent decision to attend an Australian Rugby League dinner in Sydney, rather than present his own Prime Minister's 2004 Science Prize to bionic-ear developer Professor Graeme Clarke.

"The response was overwhelming - the ASMR received dozens of e-mails and telephone calls, from the very highest levels of the medical research community. People were very upset - they felt it [the PM's Science Prize] should have been his first priority."