‘Health plan’ to be drawn up for Cork

A major “health plan” is to be drawn up for Cork City following its designation by the World Health Organisation as a “healthy city”.

The public will be consulted on what they want in the plan, which aims to bring key government agencies together with other decision making groups and community organisations to make the city a healthier place in which to live.

The southern capital joins cities such as Copenhagen and Nantes, as well as the Irish network of Belfast, Galway and Waterford, as a city that will prioritise the health of its citizens.

“Every decision made by the city council and other public service providers in Cork has an impact on people’s lives,” Lord Mayor Cllr Terry Shannon said yesterday as he announced the designation.

“The Healthy City initiative will bring all the key stakeholders together to look at ways in which to make Cork a healthier place to live — be it through better urban design or the promotion of healthy lifestyles within the city.”

Colin Bradley, the Professor of General Practice in University College Cork (UCC), said the designation will result in better co-ordination between groups working on health-related issues across the city.

And Katherine Harford, who manages the Niche Community Health Project in Knocknaheeny, said the plan will help address inequalities which will ultimately help improve health. “Cork City as a whole will benefit from that,” she said.

Several projects are already under way. Some city schools are working with the council and the HSE’s Health Promotion Department to encourage walking and cycling to school.

The council, UCC, Niche and the HSE helped secure the designation.

They completed a “health profile” — a snapshot of the city’s health — which showed that more than three in every four deaths in Cork city in 2008 were from either diseases of the circulatory system (35%), cancer (29%), or diseases of the respiratory system (12%).

The profile also revealed huge health inequalities between the city’s northside and southside, including:

* Higher rates of high blood pressure, cancer, coronary disease and stroke on the northside.

* Prostate was the most common cancer amongst Cork men, representing 31% of all cancers. Colorectal was the second most common with lung cancer third.

* In women, breast cancer was by far the commonest cancer, representing 32% of all cancers in women in Cork. Colorectal and lung cancers were next.

The profile also showed the areas with the highest percentage of lone parent family units are the four RAPID areas: Knocknaheeny/Hollyhill/Churchfield; Blackpool/The Glen/Mayfield; Fairhill/Gurranabraher/Farranree; and Togher/Mahon.

Cllr Ted Tynan welcomed the Healthy City initiative but said the health survey was based on 2006 figures — at the height of the Celtic Tiger.

“The shocking figures and inequalities here are based on figures from the height of the boom,” he said. “But the Celtic Tiger sailed over the heads of communities like this. The deprivation is 10 times worse now.”