A large range of measures are needed to protect and enhance the cardiovascular health of the nation, the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) has said.

Launching its pre-Budget 2023 submission, the charity has highlighted five priority areas:

-Children’s health

-Heart and stroke services and supports

-Ensuring the VAT system supports communities

-Chronic disease prevention – tobacco cessation and e-cigarette regulation

-Climate and health.

When it comes to protecting children’s health, the IHF calls for the establishment of a Children’s Future Fund to reinvest the proceeds of the sugar sweetened drinks tax and other levies on unhealthy foods into a major national programme to improve children’s health.

It also makes a number of other calls including an increase in the school meals programme budget by 20% to help improve food quality and funding for the development of a new breastfeeding action plan.

When it comes to heart and stroke services, the IHF is calling for funding of €1 million to set up a cardiovascular health unit in the Department of Health. It also wants to see development begin on a new cardiovascular health policy.

Other calls in this area include:

-Funding for a five-year hypertension awareness and behaviour change campaign

-Funding of over €10 million over a three-year period to reach optimal staffing levels in stroke services

-Adequate resourcing of existing cardiac rehabilitation services and provision for the expansion of these services

-Provision of sustainable funding for national physiotherapy services across all nine CHOs.

When it comes to ensuring the VAT system supports communities, the IHF is calling for the removal of VAT on automated external defibrillators (AEDs). It claims that the average cost of these devices - €1,500 including €345 VAT - makes them unaffordable for many community organisations. It is calling for the removal of this 23% “tax burden”.

“The VAT on defibrillators is a tax on saving lives and it’s time it was removed. The more AEDs there are available in local communities and accessible to the public, the more lives can be saved,” commented IHF resuscitation manager, Brigid Sinnott.

Meanwhile, when it comes to chronic disease prevention, the IHF is calling for an increase in tobacco taxation annually on a pro-rata basis so that all packs of 20 cigarettes cost at least €20 by 2025. This would require an increase of €1.57 on a pack in Budget 2023.

The charity is also calling for an increase in the level of funding for tobacco cessation services and an increase in staffing and resources to support Revenue’s national action plan to combat cigarette smuggling.

When it comes to climate and health, the IHF is calling for local authorities to receive significant funding to allow them to monitor and enforce air quality legislation. Other calls include:

-The implementation of a daily congestion charge on all private motorised vehicles entering Dublin city centre

-The introduction of a Green Transition Fuel Allowance to facilitate the move away from burning the worst health-affecting solid fuels, such as smoky coal and sod turf.

The IHF’s full pre-Budget 2023 submission can be viewed here.