Today we took an important step in the fight against heart failure. Representatives of the Heart Failure Delta Plan handed an urgency declaration to Minister Pia Dijkstra of Health, Welfare and Sport.

In this declaration we emphasize the need for immediate action to reverse the huge expected increase in heart failure patients and to improve heart failure care and quality of life for patients with heart failure.

Heart failure is a serious condition in which the heart's pumping function fails. It has an erratic disease course with sudden exacerbations and unplanned hospitalizations. This often leads to a significant risk of death, particularly within five years of initial hospitalization. Despite its severity, heart failure is relatively unknown and is often diagnosed late.

At the handover, experts expressed their concerns and made concrete recommendations, including improving awareness, early recognition, integrated care and research into better diagnostics and more effective treatments.

Minister Dijkstra has indicated she takes this call seriously: "Heart failure is a serious condition that needs more attention," said Dijkstra

The Delta Plan Heart Failure is an initiative of the Hartstichting, the Netherlands Heart Institute and the Dutch CardioVascular Alliance which represents 24 network partners

For more information about the Delta Plan Heart Failure, please visit www.deltaplanhartfalen.nl