Tuesday, 18 June 2024

Macular disease

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (22:05): (959) My adjournment matter this evening is for the attention of the Minister for Health, and it relates to macular disease. I recently had the opportunity to meet with representatives from the Macular Disease Foundation Australia, which is the peak body for those living with macular disease and their carers. They shared with me details of their report investigating the urgent need for greater investment in and access to treatment for macular disease here in Victoria. Much-needed funding will help improve the health and wellbeing of tens of thousands of Victorians and save money in the long term.

Macular disease is the leading cause of blindness and vision loss in Australia, affecting 1.9 million Australians, including around 368,000 here in Victoria, making macular disease one of the most prevalent diseases in the state. It is a terrible disease. The effects can be drastic, causing irreversible blindness without proper treatment. While there is no cure, anti vascular endothelial growth factor eye injections every four to 12 weeks assist in maintaining people’s vision. Unfortunately, 50 per cent of people cease receiving this life-changing treatment within five years due largely to exorbitant out-of-pocket fees – around $1900 a year. With public hospital options severely limited, many Victorians are effectively locked out of the treatment they need simply on account of where they live. The macular disease foundation estimates that through proper government investment thousands more people would receive treatment and avoid blindness and vision loss, saving the government in excess of $2 billion over the coming decade. But here in Victoria under Labor, due to waste and mismanagement, Victorians are paying the price, and it is vulnerable Victorians like these people that have macular disease who are paying the biggest price, because the government is not coming on board and assisting them.

The action I seek is for the minister to properly address macular disease, taking into consideration the policy proposals outlined in the macular disease foundation’s report, including investment to boost the number of private clinics, a bulk-billing treatment for pensioners and increasing access in our public hospitals. We know that the system is broken here due to the ongoing mismanagement of Victorian public hospitals, but once amalgamations occur throughout rural and regional Victoria people in these areas who have this terrible disease are going to have to travel further, and they will be affected even more. Allowing proper investment would enable all Victorians living with macular disease to live their lives to the fullest, give them dignity and ensure that they have vision for as long as possible and do not go prematurely blind, as so many Victorians are at risk of doing.