Policy Framework Set Out For A Healthier Ireland

A major new initiative, aimed at improving the general standard of health, is being launched today by four government ministers with a consultation day. It will involve public health professionals, relevant departments and agencies, academics, community and voluntary organisations and others taking place in the Royal College of Physicians in Dublin.

Dr James Reilly, Minister for Health, will be joined by Frances Fitzgerald, the Minister for Children, and Ministers of State; Róisín Shortall and Kathleen Lynch at the consultation which will lead to the development of a new public health policy.

The new policy, once published, will set out the Government’s long-term vision for the health and well-being of the population. The aim is to help people live healthier and more fulfilling lives and to create social conditions that ensure good health, on equal terms for the entire population.

“The need for a new, enhanced public health policy is clear” according to Minister Reilly. “It is a sobering thought that approximately two thirds of chronic disease could be prevented if we just changed our lifestyle and avoided unnecessary risk factors. Consider the enormous suffering that could be avoided if we were to remove those factors. In other words, it’s up to us as individuals to take responsibility for our life choices and it’s also up to us as a society to make our environment safer and the right choice easier to make.”

Minister Frances Fitzgerald said she was delighted to be attending in her capacity as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. Singling out the growing problem of childhood obesity as a particular area of interest for her personally, the Minister said: “Obesity in children is of major concern in that it causes a wide range of serious health and social consequences and may impact on mental health. Moreover, childhood obesity is linked to underachievement in school and to lower self-esteem”.

On the topic of the harm caused by alcohol misuse in Ireland, Minister of State with Responsibility for Primary Care Róisín Shortall said: “A sustained multi-sectoral approach to the alcohol epidemic, backed by a strong political and societal consensus, is required to reduce alcohol consumption levels”. She also emphasized the central role that primary care services will play in prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.

The event will allow an audience of over 200 key figures across society, involved in healthcare and many other areas, to hear submissions from national and international experts on the subject of public health.

(BMcN)