Oscar Visits Parliament House
Oscar met with the Federal Health Minister, earlier this week. His parents have been working with a communications company to campaign to the government to have the medicine on the PBS list and it was finally approved and announced on Wednesday. All children now with achondroplasia will have access to this. Such amazing efforts!
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Recount by Oscar
On Wednesday I went to Canberra with my Mum and Dad. We went to Parliament House to meet the federal health minister Mark Butler. He made a very important announcement about a medication I am taking - it is now available on the PBS to all children with achondroplasia. The PBS is the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme - that means the government help pay for the medicine when it is really expensive.
I have achondroplasia and I am on a medical trial, taking a special medication to help my bones grow strong and to prevent other complications that I have had. We wanted all children who need this medicine to be able to have it, but it cost a lot of money, almost $400,000 a year and millions of dollars until they stop growing - too much for most families to afford.
My Mum and Dad and I have been working with a communications company to campaign to the government to put the medicine on the PBS and it was finally approved and announced on Wednesday. Now even babies can have this medicine and it will help keep them safe and healthy. We made short films and wrote lots of letters and spoke to doctors all over the world to ask for their support. We also worked with the company who make the medicine in America.
I talked to the minister about my favourite footballer Patrick Dangerfield and I told him how much I love playing footy. I also told him that I am so happy all children who need it, can have the same medicine as me and it will help them play sport and do things they love, like I can.
It was important for us to do this because we wanted to help other families, because we have been so lucky to get the medicine before them.