Foreword

Asthma is a serious problem in Australia. For the last ten years there has been a true collaborative spirit in Australia where organisations and individuals have worked together to achieve better quality of life for people with asthma.

Effective, evaluated interventions for asthma management have been developed, good treatment is available, public awareness of asthma is high and people with asthma have a better understanding of their own asthma management. The number of deaths has declined from 964 in 1989 to 715 in 1997.

Despite this progress we are faced with the challenge of increasing prevalence and possibly with increasing severity. The National Asthma Campaign has worked with stakeholders to develop the National Asthma Strategy, Goals and Targets (1994), the National Asthma Strategy, Strategies and Implementation (1996) and now the National Asthma Strategy Implementation Plan. We now have a forward-looking plan of coordinated asthma activities.

The purpose of this plan is to achieve optimal asthma outcomes for people with asthma. Good asthma management is more cost effective than poor asthma management, so a sustained future effort by all stakeholders in asthma will assist to contain the cost of asthma to the community.

The National Asthma Strategy Implementation Plan brings together current and proposed efforts to improve asthma health outcomes. Energy and resources are to be committed to better health and to illness prevention. Current developments such as the National Public Health Partnership and the Divisional structure supporting general practitioners, are part of this dynamic plan for asthma.

My Department has been delighted to participate as a stakeholder in the development of the National Asthma Strategy Implementation Plan.

The proposal by the Federal Government to make asthma the sixth National Health Priority Area, and to provide $8 million for asthma over the next three years demonstrates our wish to deliver positive health outcomes for asthma.
The National Asthma Strategy Implementation Plan will be an important reference to identify priority activities to be carried out over the next five to six years.

DR MICHAEL WOOLDRIDGE
Minister for Health and Aged Care