Ottawa to invest $8.4-million to combat heart disease

Heart Disease :: Ottawa to invest $8.4-million to combat heart disease

Ottawa will invest $8.4-million over the next two years to develop a new heart health strategy, the Health Minister says. The money will initially be used to determine the extent of cardiovascular disease in Canada, and hypertension in particular, and then to shape a plan of attack, Tony Clement said.

"To date, this country has lacked a comprehensive and integrated pan-Canadian heart health strategy," Mr. Clement said in a taped address to the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress n Vancouver.

The conference, which is being attended by almost 3,500 people, opened yesterday and runs until Wednesday.

He told the conference that a strategy is necessary because "we need to pull it all together -- with a better focal point and an improved, co-ordinated approach to research, surveillance and information."