Federal Minister for Rural Health Fiona Nash has not committed to funding a national shunt registry despite a long-running campaign for hydrocephalus sufferers.
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Ms Nash said the issue had been raised with her.
“It is certainly an issue that we are looking at and I am well aware of the concerns out in the community,” she said.
“No funding at this stage, but I am very well aware of the concerns.”
Parents consider the recurrent funding sought for the running of the registry to be “chicken feed” in budgetary terms – at last count $200,000 was needed per annum.
Moruya’s Jane and Brad Coppin live with the daily fear their daughter, Darcy, could be the next victim of a failing shunt – a device that drains fluid from the brain’s of hydrocephalus sufferers.
The family has been pushing for several years for the establishment of a national shunt registry, which would help researchers discover why about half of all shunts fail within a few years of being inserted.
Emily Barton
Emily Barton is a Producer at The Canberra Times.
Emily Barton is a Producer at The Canberra Times.
