No extra cash for plan to improve male health
The Government today launched an ambitious plan to improve men’s health – but said there is no extra money available to fund it.
After more than four years of research costing around €130,000, junior Health Minister Mary Wallace claimed there was no spare cash in the state coffers to help roll-out the scheme’s raft of recommendations.
One of the strategy’s co-authors warned the five-year policy was vital, as men do not cope as well as women during economic slumps.
Ms Wallace said: “In the present economic climate it is not possible to provide additional resources to assist in the implementation of the recommendations and actions contained in the National Men’s Health Policy.”
Irish men have one of the fastest growing suicide rates in the world, the highest death rate among European males from respiratory disease, and live on average five years less than Irish women.
The minister claimed health staff will try and implement the recommendations with the money available to them, with some already being rolled-out.
A group of officials from the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive will meet to decide how to turn the policy into action under a tight budget.
Ms Wallace added: “We have great people on the ground... that need to be aware of the National Men’s Health Policy and how to do things a little bit differently.”
“So we don’t necessarily have to put billions in just to say we want a different approach.
“It’s about mobilising the existing troops on the ground, not throwing more money and staff [at it].”
But policy report co-author Dr Noel Richardson warned the plan was particularly crucial facing into the recession.
“It couldn’t be a more important time for the policy to be launched, ” Dr Richardson said.
“Men seem to cope less well in economic slumps than women do.
“The policy is now more important than ever.”
The policy was sparked by a report carried out in December 2004 into men’s attitudes to their own health.
Irish males have the highest death rate in Europe from respiratory diseases and it is expected that almost a third will be clinically obese by 2015.
Male life expectancy is 77.1 years, compared to 81.8 for women.
The report also found that men experience some form of ill-health or disability for an average of 13.7 years.
Suicide rates among men in Ireland are also among the fastest rising in the world.
Government departments are already under pressure to slash their budgets in a bid to bring public spending under control.
But health officials are hopeful extra money will be freed up before the men’s health policy draws to a close in 2013.
Among the recommendations included in the policy are the establishment of a centre for research and development in men’s health and the provision of specific training courses for health staff working with men.
