MEN should have a dedicated health minister to help address blokes’ poor health and early deaths, MPs have heard.
Many males do not visit the doctor between childhood and middle-age and are less likely to take time away from work to get checked out, it was said.
GettyMen should have a dedicated health minister to help address blokes’ poor health and early deaths, MPs have heard[/caption]
Official figures show men in the UK live to an average age of 79, while it is 83 for women.
In 2022, the Department of Health launched a women’s health strategy and appointed a dedicated minister — Maria Caulfield — to improve female healthcare.
However, as yet, there is no equivalent for fellas.
Martin Tod, of the Men’s Health Forum, told the Commons Health Committee: “Everybody knows men die earlier, and drink more and smoke more.
“Everybody knows they are more likely to die of cancer or heart disease, yet nothing is done.
“This is a problem that is hiding in plain sight.
“We need to put something into the system, whether it’s a strategy, a minister, or a clinical lead in the NHS — probably all of those — to say, ‘It’s time to change’.”