The issue of public health and the place of government was finally resolved when Andrew Lansley yesterday spelled out his vision for government intervention.
This blogger was pleasantly surprised for the most part with its conclusions and recommendations. It does however have concerns about devolving of responsibility for such matters to local cash-strapped Councils.
Under Conservatives rules, Tobacco companies could be forced to put their cigarettes in plain packaging while sales of cut-price alcohol face a ban, health secretary Andrew Lansley confirmed.
His public health white paper offer a raft of proposals that range from the voluntary to "nudges" in the right direction to outright changes in the law.
His answer is to ring-fence spending on public health, which experts in the field have long wanted. Public health budgets have been raided in the past to pay for expensive hospital care. Directors of public health, based in local authorities, will have charge of the budgets and decide their local priorities and there will be incentive payments for reducing health inequalities, such as reducing the proportions of the poorest who smoke. A Health Inclusion Board is to be set up, which will probe the causes of deprivation and look at ways to tackle them.
Readers of this blog may remember the attacks from the Libertarian extremes for stating the government had a responsibility to be pro-active on public health. Many denied the existence of passive smoking, and even insisted it was a myth, and then continued to slam Medway students for highlighting in a campaign stunt the opposition to cigarettes.
This blog supported the students which caused anger from a number of extremist blogs who then subjected this blogger to a series of extremely nasty taunts in public (see comments). Seems like the last laugh is on the lunatic libertarians.
This blog suggested that there was an ideological argument from the right and left for pro-active prevention in health care. It cited the 'Nudge' book as a potential thesis to be followed. Interesting this is exactly what has happened.
One thing the coalition should be supported on wholeheartedly.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar