Hon John Day BSc BDSc MLA — $3million in child health research grants

West Australian children and families will benefit from $3million in funding awarded to 16 Perth-based child and adolescent research projects.

Announcing the second round of the Telethon-Perth Children’s Hospital Research Fund (TPCHRF), Acting Health Minister John Day said grants between $43,000 and $217,000 had been awarded to short-term research projects.

“Research is vital to maintaining a world-class health system and the findings that will come from this research stand to make a real difference to patient care and health outcomes for young West Australians,” Mr Day said.

“The TPCHRF was established in recognition of the critical importance of child health research, and the State Government is very proud to be working with the Channel 7 Telethon Trust to deliver this initiative.”

A study into the role that viral and bacterial pathogens play in causing pneumonia in children, and research to develop a fast and accurate test to diagnose sepsis in newborns, are among
the projects that have received funding.

The Acting Minister said the successful researchers were to be congratulated on their selection, having been chosen by an expert steering committee from a record number of 73 applications covering a wide range of disciplines.

Mr Day said the Liberal National Government had significantly boosted funding for medical research, including through the FutureHealth WA program, which was providing $30million over four years, in addition to the $58million already committed to health and medical research.

“Research is essential for better health care for all WA families, and the FutureHealth WA program will ensure that quality research can continue and WA researchers can access the funding required to carry out this critical work,” he said.