The Issue of Heart Attacks in Australia - Essay Example

Heart attacks in Australia Introduction Heart attacks are technically known as myocardial infarction (Lee, This is a medical situation where the blood flow is blocked for a long time leading to damage or death of muscles. Myocardial infarction is gaining global attention in terms of the increasing number of cases occurring across the globe. Lifestyle changes including changes in food habits, lack of physical exertion, and unscientific routines largely contribute to the increase in the occurrence of myocardial infarction. The statistics on myocardial infarction in Australia are suggesting alarming observations.

It has been reported that myocardial infarction along with other cardiovascular diseases forms the leading health problem in Australia (Loannides-Demos et al, 2010). In terms of the cost incurred on the treatment and the allied expenditure, these diseases are accounted as the most expensive health problems in Australia.

It has been estimated that out of the total budget allocated by the state for health care, about 11 percent was spent on cardiovascular diseases in the year 2004-05 (AIHW, 2008). It must be noted here that, this is an increase of 18% within 5 years. This suggests the increasing incurrence of heart attacks in the country (AIHW, 2008). Taking into account the share of heart diseases in the total mortality and disability in Australia, it has been recorded to be very high. In the year 2003, this accounted to be 18% of the total disease incurrence in the country. 

By the year 2005, this steeply increased to a state that out of all deaths that occurred in Australia in 2006, 34 percent were due to cardiovascular diseases (AIHW, 2008). Interestingly, out of these deaths, more than 50 were due to myocardial infarction and angina ptosis. This suggests the seriousness of myocardial infarction in terms of its occurrence in Australia. A majority of these patients, which accounted for more than 80% belonged to an age group above 50 years. However, this observation is globally relevant as it has been generally accepted by researchers that the susceptibility to heart attacks increases with age.

It has also been observed that the majority of patients with myocardial infarction are male. The cost involved As the treatment for myocardial infarction involves biomedical instrumentation along with pharmacological interventions, the cost of treatment is very high. Research based in New South Wales concluded that the average cost of treatment for a myocardial infarction patient along with 12 months of follow-up treatment is 4937 Australian Dollars (AIHW, 2009). The medical care funding system in Australia has different streams of operation.

More than 40 percent of Australian citizens are covered under private insurance. The cost of veteran medical care, hospital services, and community services is funded by the state. Thus it can be concluded that myocardial infarction and the allied medical complications cause large financial implications for the state concerning Australia. Conclusion It is evident that cases of heart attacks are steadily increasing in Australia and so is the cost incurred to the state due to this. However, the management of myocardial infarction is largely becoming efficient with advancements in medical technology.

The success of these treatments depends to a large extent on the time taken for the patient to receive medical attention (Dracup, McKinley& Moser, 233). The estimation of mortality due to myocardial infarction after reaching hospitals was 40% in 1970, wherein now it has come down to less than 10% (Lee, 2011). This improvement has much to do with campaigns that improved the awareness of the people about the symptoms of the disease which in turn reduced the time lag in receiving the medical intervention.