Report to the People
The Importance of Public Health
After Heartstart Week in the Telegraph, it seems a good time to examine Inverclyde’s vital signs.
You don’t have to be a brain surgeon to realise that Inverclyde has a history of ill health. As a whole, Scotland’s medical records are poor in comparison to the rest of the developed world and Inverclyde’s record is poor in relation to Scotland.
A report from Argyll & Clyde Health Board which I received last week made uncomfortable reading. While there are positive signs - the numbers of mothers breast-feeding and the number of children being vaccinated are improving - the old worrying signs remain.
The typical man in Inverclyde can expect to die 3 years earlier than the average Scot. His wife will die a year before her average counterpart. Our rates for cancer, coronary heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, respiratory disease, digestive disease (which includes alcoholic liver disease and cirrhosis) and homicide are all above the Scotland-wide figures.
What is clear from this data is that there are major health inequalities in our society. If you’re poor, you’re more likely to be ill. Tackling poor health means tackling poverty. And tackling poverty means tackling poor health. Last Thursday morning, when the Parliament held its second full debate on the issue, this point was made repeatedly.
Public health requires an integrated agenda. Your health can be affected by many different factors such as where you live and how you live.
It is for this reason that the Parliament is working to improve our health by improving our environment, tackling poverty and deprivation, and providing decent housing.
We will be using all of the extra tobacco tax revenues coming to Scotland - £26 million - to fund the biggest ever single investment in health improvement measures. And on Wednesday it was announced that spending on the NHS in Inverclyde will be increased by £1000 per person.
However, regardless of the amounts of money which are ploughed into public health, we will not be successful unless we are determined to change our own lifestyles.
To be honest, the Scottish standard is not particularly high. We should be able meet and exceed that standard. With extra money for the NHS, improved housing, a comprehensive anti-poverty strategy, and a determination on our part to take steps to improve our own health, I hope we can look forward to a healthier future.
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