Report to the People
26th May 2008
Robin Hood Healthcare
The
scandal that is the wide - and widening - gap between the health of Scotland’s
richest and poorest people is one which I have repeatedly recounted in this
column. Living in one of Scotland's
most deprived communities increases your risk of heart disease as much as being
diabetic or 10 years older.
And,
as regular readers also know, these inequalities are perpetuated by the
one-size-fits-all approach to providing health services.
People in deprived areas might suffer from poorer health, but they
struggle with poorer access to GPs, preventative and other primary health care
services.
No-one
would disagree that we need to end this unfairness. But, whenever an actual solution is put forward, the chorus
of protests and complaints is deafening.
The
latest plan, set to be piloted in parts of Glasgow, is to consider a patient’s
background when deciding whether or not they should be prescribed treatment,
like statins, to guard against heart disease and strokes.
As
deprivation is a key risk factor, most people would be surprised that it’s not
already taken into account. But
some are trying to paint this as robbing the rich to give to the poor (and what,
you might ask, is wrong with that?).
This
move is about targeting resources where need is greatest and the Scottish
Government must have the courage to roll it out across the country.
It might upset those who shout the loudest, but politics should be about
speaking up for those whose voices too often go unheard.
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