A lifesaving procedure to treat an irregular heartbeat will have to be covered by private health insurance under an initiative announced by Health Minister Greg Hunt.
He says more than 18,500 Australian patients are expected to benefit from cardiac ablation catheters, used to treat atrial fibrillation now being on the government's prostheses list.
The listing meant that private health insurers must include the procedure in their cover and waiting times for the procedure would be reduced by up to two years for the procedure in public hospitals, Mr Hunt said in a statement on Sunday.
Atrial fibrillation, the most common form of heart arrhythmia affecting 360 Australians, could lead to heart failure, stroke and other heart-related complications.
Cardiac ablation involved placing a catheter tube into a vein in the leg and pushing it up to the heart.
When the tube reached the heart, it scarred a specific area causing the abnormal electrical impulses, thereby restoring normal heart rhythm and function.
Meanwhile, Opposition health spokeswoman Catherine King says if Labor is elected if will roll out across Australia the Heart Foundation's NSW program to raise awareness of women's heart health.
"Heart disease is the biggest killer of Australian women - but prevention, diagnosis and treatment efforts are being undermined by the perception that heart disease is a male problem," she said in a statement.
"In fact, women are three times more likely to die from heart disease than from breast cancer. Women often ignore heart attack symptoms because they can be different from those experienced by men."
The program provides community organisations with $10,000 each to raise local awareness of heart disease and the ways women can reduce their risks.
