Priya Alexander

You will hear all about it, don't worry.

Asthma is where we're headed next, Norman, and it's an issue that is quite a big one in Australia.

Over 2.8 million Australians suffer from asthma, and we're potentially not doing so well when it comes to controlling people's asthma symptoms.

Can I just jump in, Christine?

Because I'm just wondering, I know that's one of the clear goals of this initiative is to end this reliance on that blue puffer, the salbutamol or Ventolin, as people might know it.

But you can walk into a pharmacy and get it over the counter.

It's really quite readily available.

How do we end the reliance?

What does it practically look like to get people away from that and onto an inhaled corticosteroid?

Really important question, Priya.

Or the other health professionals.

There are lots of other health professionals involved in asthma care.

Was that a bit of defensiveness there?

Well, I think I've read the blueprint and I saw that there was, you know, we're talking about the ideal model of care and communication and continuity of care, and this is an issue across multiple complex chronic conditions, but it is often the GP who gets in the barrel.

Maybe it is defensiveness, Norman, but it's often that there are other healthcare professionals involved too.

I think a lot of people mention that difference in the cost of the inhalers, Christine, which is that you can go and get the salbutamol over the counter and it's a different price to getting this inhaled corticosteroid.

So there's a couple of barriers still, aren't there, to really shifting away from the blue puffer entirely?

Norman, you have a story about childhood cancer.

Fascinating.

Can I give you a really clear way that I learned from my husband?