Ireland's Eastern Region launches cardiovascular action plan:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Ireland's Eastern Regional Health Authority yesterday (October 22 2003) launched its Heart Health Action Plan. The initiative, part of the national Cardiovascular Health Strategy, is backed by funding totalling E11.75m ($13.9m) over the first four years. The plan aims to improve access to "increasingly effective treatments" to reduce heart disease mortality and morbidity. Cardiovascular disease remains the most common cause of death in the region and in Ireland as a whole, with rates that are "considerably higher than the EU average", according to the health ministry.