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Tackling health inequalities together
A conference under the banner; ‘The Third Sector; tackling Health Inequalities Together’, was held in London on 9 March 2010. Graham attended and has drafted this short report.
Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Chair of the World Health Organisation Commission for Social Determinants, was asked by our government to lead an independent Post 2010 Strategic Review of Health Inequalities in November 2008. In his report headed Fair Society, Healthy Lives, launched in February 2010, Marmot shows, that in the poorest communities;
- Life expectancy was 18 years less than amongst the affluent.
- Disability was likely to affect the last 20 years of your life compared with 10 years amongst the affluent.
- The surest way to cause premature death was to leave people isolated.
Marmot’s message was that inequalities in health could not be separated from other inequalities, all of which arose from unfairness or injustice. His choice of ‘Fair Society, Healthy Lives’ reflected this viewpoint which was supported by very weighty evidence. Reliance upon a regressive tax structure which meant that the poorest met 38% of the country’s need against 35% being met by the richest was cited as being particularly unjust.
It’s a long haul to redress wealth inequalities but it’s not such a big task to tackle isolation and the ill health that it causes. Sandwell Council via the ‘5 X 30 Time To Get Active’ programme has met this challenge by assisting SVI with financial support to provide a range of customised exercise schemes that have brought so much pleasure, not to mention purpose, to the lives of Sandwell’s visually impaired community; many of whom, through confidence and mobility difficulties often lead lives of relative isolation.
Hope and Joyce (PCT) also attended and have invited Professor Marmot to deliver his address in Sandwell; I understand he kindly agreed to do so. When we have more news about this we will share it with you. Sir Michael Marmot is an inspirational speaker; not one to be missed!
Graham
11 March 010