Heart healthcare well below EU average

HEART healthcare in Ireland was rated as mediocre and well below the EU average in the first Euro Consumer Health Index.

The country was one of the worst in terms of preventing heart disease, with not enough efforts to promote a healthy diet, exercise and reduce obesity.

Heart disease and related ailments are the biggest cause of death in most European countries and claimed 5,000 lives in Ireland last year.

Although Ireland almost halved coronary disease deaths in the past 20 years, the rate is still one of the highest in western Europe.

A reduction in smoking, together with improved medication and surgery, has helped lower the level of heart disease, but this has been offset by a rise in obesity over the past few years.

Research director for the Heart Index, Dr Arne Bjornberg, said despite Ireland being the first country in Europe to introduce a smoking ban in public places, prevention measures overall were poor.

“The other elements of effective prevention, such as combating obesity, reducing the heavy drinking culture and improving diet problems, need to be addressed to counter Ireland’s rather poor results on heart disease outcomes,” he said.

There should be higher levels of exercise in schools to create a culture of healthy exercise, Dr Bjornberg added.

The study also called for national screening for heart disease and measures to control blood pressure.

Ireland ranked 16th out of 29 countries considered and scored 652 points out of a possible 1,000, leaving it well below the average, and considerably below Britain and Slovenia.

Luxembourg and France are the safest countries for hearts while Romania is the most dangerous, according to the report.

It noted that the countries with the best heart healthcare also spent the most money on it, with Luxembourg spending $5,500 per person annually.

However, Ireland ($3,000) spent almost as much as France ($3,300), according to the World Health Organisation figures for 2005, and much more than Britain ($2,500), which was rated ninth — much higher than Ireland’s 16th placing.