This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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'Well Man' clinics pilot
16/06/2004
The first round of health partnerships have been
announced, aiming to encourage men to take a greater
interest in their health and wellbeing.
Deputy Minister for Health Tom McCabe today allocated
more than £2.3 million of funding for a series of well man
clinic pilots across the country.
Speaking in Glasgow, Mr McCabe said:
"It's been a well-known fact for some time now, that for
a number of reasons, Scotland's men are much more reluctant
than women to go to the doctor for regular check ups.
"Men need to be encouraged and supported to take more
responsibility for their own health. If they don't start
taking an interest in their lifestyle and wellbeing they
could be causing real problems for themselves in everyday
life. It's never too late to choose change, look good, feel
better and enjoy the best health.
"Last year I announced that the Executive would be
investing £4 million in piloting 'Well Man' clinics across
the country and I am pleased to be able to announce the
first round of successful bidders today.
"More than £2.3 million spread between NHS Board, local
authority and voluntary service partnerships across the
country will get the ball rolling and we will announce the
results of further bids in the near future.
"Scotland's health is improving. However, we're still
faring poorly on the European playing field, and the health
of our men is one of the issues that needs to be addressed.
With the European football championships having just kicked
off in Portugal, instead of simply sitting in front of the
television watching it, we should take advantage of the
warm weather and get out and about on foot.
"Lack of physical activity, along with poor diet,
smoking and alcohol misuse are key contributors to the
state of our health and making simple lifestyle choices
combined with getting a regular check-up will help make a
real difference."
The funding will be distributed as follows:
Partnerships £s
Argyll and Clyde 487,200
Fife 266,216
Greater Glasgow 477,876
Highland 200,949
Lothian 420,670
Shetland 117,865
Tayside 388,000
Total 2,358,776
The £4 million funding initiative was launched on
October 14 2003 following a pledge in the Partnership
agreement which can be found at
https://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/government/pfbs-00.asp.
Men are less likely than women to go to their GPs. In
the 12 months
ending in March 2003, 68 per cent of males, and 84
per cent of females had contact with their GP. (Source:
Sample of CMR (Continuous Morbidity
Recording) GP practices).
In 2002, coronary heart disease (CHD) accounted for 22
per cent of deaths
in Scottish men and 18 per cent of deaths in women.
The Executive target is to reduce the number of premature
deaths from CHD for men and women by 50 per cent between
1995-2010.