Jim Mitchell
Question:90 Mr. J. Mitchell asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason life expectancy here is so far behind France. [9894/01]
Written Answers. - Life Expectancy Rates.
While Ireland's life expectancy rates are behind those of France, it is important to recognise that health status and mortality rates are influenced by several factors. These include people's natural endowment; the physical and emotional nurturing they receive; the lifestyle they adopt; the degree to which the health services and the wider environment support and complement their attempts to prevent disease and to improve their health as well as the access they have to quality health and personal social services in times of need.
A high proportion of mortality and morbidity rates in Ireland are caused by chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease and cancer. A range of measures are in place to improve health status and mortality rates. These include the national cancer strategy, the national cardiovascular health strategy and the health promotion strategy.
The national cancer strategy set a target of reducing the proportion of deaths from cancer in the under 65 age group by 15%. Since the launch of the strategy, about £60 million has been invested in a range of service developments under the strategy, to the benefit of all, including in particular those socio-economic groups at a greater relative risk of contracting cancer due to environmental or lifestyle factors.
Cardiovascular diseases cause over 40% of all mortality in Ireland. Last year saw the first year of an investment programme following on the adoption of the cardiovascular strategy launched by the Taoiseach in late 1999. A total of £14.4 million has been allocated to fund the strategy this year. The report of the cardiovascular health strategy group, Building Healthier Hearts, showed that our premature death rates from coronary heart disease for men and women are twice the EU average. The medium term objective of the strategy is to bring Irish levels of premature deaths from cardiovascular disease in line with the EU average at a minimum. The longer term goal is to reduce Irish rates to those of the best performers in the EU. Building Healthier Hearts, which contains 211 recommendations, is designed to achieve these goals in a systematic and sustained manner.
Last year, I launched the health promotion strategy for the years 2000 to 2005 which includes specific strategic aims and objectives to contribute to the overall health improvement of the Irish population.
The overall budget for the health services in 2001 is now over £5 billion. This represents a 48% increase over the past two years and is a clear recognition of the Government's commitment to provide a high quality and effective health service. The £2 billion earmarked in the NDP for health capital for the seven year period 2000-2006 represents almost a trebling of investment compared to the previous seven year period. This investment will provide a physical infrastructure to underpin a public health service characterised by ongoing improvements in quality and accessibility and will also be an ingredient in improving the mortality and morbidity in our society.
I am currently developing a national health strategy which I intend to launch in mid-year. The new national health strategy will build on the current strategy, Shaping a Healthier Future, 1994, and will provide a blueprint for the strategic development of the health services over the next five to ten years.
All of these strategies together with this Government's programme of investment continue to contribute to the ever growing improvement in life expectancy rates that have been taking place in our society.