Dr Kathy Chapman
Organisation: Macular Disease Foundation Australia (MDFA)
Area of interest: Macular disease
MDFA’s successful advocacy leading to the rejection by both major parties of the proposal to cut the MBS rebate by 69% for intravitreal injections leaves us asking the question: where next in 2023?
Lifting the threat of the proposed rebate cut was a great relief to many in our community. Yet significant questions remain. What can be done to help people persevere with eye injections? How can eye injections become more affordable? And how can I access treatment closer to home?
MDFA has commissioned PwC to model these potential benefits. With answers to each of these questions, we will better understand the impact of these problems. Our “where next?” will then become a mission to work with federal and state/territory governments, professional organisations, and others to find solutions to these problems.
We look forward to sharing these results with the eye health community in 2023.
One of our other important activities next year will be awarding the next round of research grants. MDFA is the largest non-government funder of research into macular disease. This year we are involving community members with the goal of ensuring research we fund has both scientific and community merit and value
