There are around 10,000 people in Ealing Southall living with a heart and circulatory disease, and seven million people across the UK. It causes a quarter of all deaths in the UK. This week Virendra Sharma MP showed their support for UK medical research by joining British Heart Foundation (BHF) scientists and heart patients to hear how research is helping to save and improve the lives of the millions of people affected by heart disease.
At an event in Westminster, Virendra Sharma spoke with heart patients and BHF-funded researchers to learn more about the latest research projects, the hope they offer to people with heart conditions and why government support is vital.
Virendra Sharma said: “Heart disease is a devastating condition that affects thousands of people across Ealing Southall.
“But with the public’s support, charities like the BHF are able to fund some of the world’s leading researchers, who work tirelessly to find the next major breakthrough that could help save more lives.
“If we are to continue making great strides in heart research both the public, including people in Ealing Southall, and the Government need to support our brightest scientists.”
The BHF is the largest independent funder of cardiovascular research and spends around £100 million every year on world class research to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. The charity sector is by far the largest funder of life sciences research in our universities and every year the Government contributes £198 million towards the indirect costs, such as heating and electricity in laboratories, of charity-funded research. But this figure falls short of covering all the costs of undertaking lifesaving research.
The government’s science budget is currently protected from cuts to expenditure but only until April 2016. Any cut to science spending would put future and current research projects that could help save more lives at serious risk. Therefore BHF is calling on the Government to maintain the current ring-fencing of the science budget and to commit to future increases.
