Bad lifestyle means we die younger than EU average

WE pay more for alcohol every week than we spend on our telephone and petrol combined, a survey has found.

Approximately €17 is spent on petrol each week and €13.25 on phone calls. However, alcohol remains one of the biggest expenditures, averaging €31.64 per person.

And although public expenditure on health has risen from €3.82bn in 1997 to an estimated €8.17bn in 2002, there are still many areas in which there has been little change since the introduction of new policies, according to the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA).

Our life expectancy is below the EU average. One in five deaths is among those under 65. Many of those premature deaths are considered preventable.

Director of Commercial Affairs at the IPHA Brian Murphy said parts of the study startled him.

“One of the things I was most surprised at was that after all the money that has been pumped into the healthcare system, we still have the lowest life expectancy in Europe. I would have expected it to be at least a little higher.”

The director said he was also surprised at the way we spend money weekly. We spend5 on bus fares, newspapers, and sweets and chocolate, while the average consumer spends €12.46 on tobacco.

“I suppose when you see we are spending so much on tobacco, sweets and alcohol it really shouldn’t be a surprise that we have such a high incidence of diseases like obesity, cancer and heart disease. What we need to start planning for is the huge change that will be here in less than 20 year's time, when there will be a lot more

elderly using our health services. It is crucial this is addressed sooner rather than later,” he said.

Hospitals take up almost half the Government’s non-capital expenditure on health while community services, services for the disabled and medicines make up most of the rest of spending. The survey shows almost 40% of the population is covered by private health insurance, compared to just over 20% two decades ago.

Of the principal causes of death, one in three dies from cancer, and one in four from circulatory diseases. Deaths from injury and poisoning remain quite high at 16%, while 5% of people are victims of respiratory diseases.

“We are making progress but need to emphasise prevention rather than treatment, because if the money isn’t spent on people in primary care it will cost a lot more in the later stages of their illnesses,” Mr. Murphy said.