News

Milburn sets inequality targets

Health secretary Alan Milburn has announcedtwo national targets aimed at reducing the wide – and growing – disparities between the health of rich and poor over the next ten years.

In a speech to the Long Term Medical Conditions Alliance, Mr Milburn said the government’s first target would be to reduce inequality in infant mortality, with the aim of saving 3,000 lives by 2010.

The second would be to reduce the gap in adult life expectancy which leaves those in the poorest areas with lives on average seven years shorter than the best off areas.

‘For too long the health debate in this country has been focussed on the state of the nation’s health service and not enough on the state of the nation’s health,’ said Mr Milburn.

Public health campaigners were quick to point out that worthwile reductions in health inequality were likely to require a reduction in the ‘wealth gap’ between rich and poor. But although many of the mechanisms to achieve the targets were focused on the NHS, Mr Milburn also pointed to Labour’s policies on jobs, the minimum wage and taxation as reducing wider inequality.

‘By working in partnership with local people, local government and local organisations the NHS can make a huge contribution to narrowing health inequalities,’ he said.

Infant mortality among the poorest is about 70 per cent higher than that in professional groups. To reduce this, the government plans to extend the Sure Start scheme, intensify anti-smoking measures, provide extra antenatal and postnatal support for disadvantaged parents, increase investment in neonatal care and publish a new National Service Framework for children’s services.