The British Medical Association today (4 November 2004) calls on Health Secretary John Reid to deliver tough action to protect the nation's health, as he finalises the White Paper on Public Health for England.
Dr Vivienne Nathanson, head of Science and Ethics at the BMA, said: "Obesity, sexual transmitted infections, alcohol abuse and smoking-related illness are all soaring. The Government must act now to turn around the UK's declining standards of health, and safeguard the well being of future generations."
The BMA has outlined a prescription for public health ? key areas which it says must be addressed in the White Paper:
Smoking
The Government must ban smoking in the workplace ? and all enclosed public places. There is indisputable evidence that smoking and passive smoking kill. Yet in the UK more than three million workers are regularly exposed to secondary environmental tobacco smoke in the workplace.
Sexual Health
The Government must meet its own target of ensuring access to sexual health services within 48 hours. Sexual health must be added to the key performance goals of primary care organisations, and sexual health (Genito Urinary Medicine ? GUM) clinics must be expanded and resourced. Statistics show that the UK is in the middle of a sexual health crisis, with rates of chlamydia, HIV, gonorrhoea and other sexually transmitted infections rising steeply. Yet many people wait weeks for appointments at GUM clinics. Sexual health has become the cinderella service of the NHS ? with a woeful lack of GUM clinics, many in a state of disrepair.
Alcohol
The BMA calls for a complete ban on alcohol advertising, and clear labelling of alcoholic drinks to show the number of units they contain. People in the UK have amongst the highest levels of alcohol abuse and binge drinking in Europe, and doctors are now seeing unprecedented levels of liver disease among young people.