Dr. Catherine Keating is a women committed to her job as Medibank Head of Service, Design and Strategy. This role is about research, education and front-line engagement. Catherine spoke to Gman on Big Brekkie. There are a many important points that strengthens the importance of promoting cardiac rehab and its benefits from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
• Indigenous Australians have CVD hospitalisation and death rates that are almost twice as high as non-Indigenous Australians (AIHW 2019) • The CVD hospitalisation rate among Indigenous Australians is 1.8 times as high as the non-Indigenous rate (AIHW 2019) • The disparity between Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians was greater for females than males—2.2 times as high for females (3,400 compared with 1,500 per 100,000) and 1.5 times as high for males (3,700 compared with 2,500 per 100,000) (AIHW 2019) • Ischaemic heart disease remains the leading cause of death among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians (MJA 2018)
Heart disease is a major problem but good health care and management of the risks will minimise a fatal outcome.