Improving health of less well-off a major aim of new strategy - Bruton

Improving the health of those on lower incomes will be "a major aim" of Fine Gael under a new anti-poverty strategy which the party intends to draft, its leader, Mr John Bruton, told a conference at the weekend.

"We in government will produce a new anti-poverty strategy and will make a measure of its success an increase in the health of those financially and educationally less well off," he said at a Fine Gael conference in Drogheda, Co Louth on "inequalities in health and lifestyle". This was the first in a series of conferences aimed at framing the party's health policies for the next general election.

Mr Bruton said the National Anti-Poverty Strategy introduced by the Rainbow Coalition was pioneering in setting targets for government departments on poverty reduction. However, one issue it overlooked was health inequalities and this should now be addressed, he said.

"It is clear that the poor tend to get sick more often, and to recover more slowly. The grind of living on low incomes for a long period limits choice, restricts socialising, replaces savings with debt, erodes confidence and skills and this contributes to illness - both psychological and physical."

Turning to the issue of smoking, Mr Alan Shatter TD, criticised the Minister for Health and Children, Mr Cowen, for excluding nicotine replacement products from the drug budgeting scheme launched last July, under which families can claim for essential medication. Such products are also unavailable to medical card holders.

Mr Shatter said "it is illogical and contrary to basic principles of health promotion to deny the provision of or payment for products which can result in the avoidance of serious tobacco-related illness and disease. As a cost-cutting measure, the Minister's action was extremely short sighted as millions of pounds are annually spent by the State and by taxpayers in general in meeting the cost of treating those who suffer from tobacco-related illnesses."

Mr Shatter also criticised the Government for failing to implement any of the key recommendations of the anti-smoking report published last November by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children.

However, he said he was "very optimistic" the Government would support his private members' bill outlawing the sale of cigarettes to anyone under 18 years of age. The bill, which includes provisions for a £2,500 fine for offending vendors, is due to be heard in the Dail next month.

The conference also heard from a number of medical academics and campaigners, including Prof Gerald Tomkin, chairman of the Diabetes Federation of Ireland, who criticised successive governments for failing to implement the 1988 St Vincent Declaration, signed by 53 European States including Ireland, which sought to prevent the spread of disease.

He said there had been a massive rise in the prevalence of diabetes which, linked to an increase in obesity and reduced exercise rates, was predicted to reach "epidemic proportions" by 2010.

The next two conferences in the series are scheduled for Ennis, Co Clare, on February 28th and Limerick in early March.