Health service needs us all to play our part
Date published:
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt is asking the population of Northern Ireland to help him turn around our health service.
The Minister warned that unless we take care of our own health and well-being, our health service will never properly cope with demand.
The Minister was speaking at the launch of a walking football charity event in Lisburn.
“It was great to be able to not only attend this event, but to take part as well. We are fortunate in NI to have a great many sporting and activity organisations for all ages.
“My health struggles of recent years are well known. I am challenging myself and everyone else to try to be a bit more active in our daily lives. The benefits to individuals are clear, in terms of physical and mental well-being. However, it’s also important to society as a whole.
“While I am now investing unparallelled sums in tackling hospital waiting lists, the reality is that health services across the world are struggling to match ever growing demand for care, as people live longer lives.
“My ambition as Health Minister includes moving focus from treating the sick to helping to keep healthy people healthy. That’s a challenge for us all across Government, as we need to ensure our environment supports and enables good health and wellbeing. It’s also a challenge for individuals. Without a collective effort to take care of our health, services will always have difficulty keeping up with growing pressures.
“There’s therefore an onus on each of us to look after our health and well-being as much as possible. That’s not just for our own sake but also to help reduce levels of demand for care and ensure our health service can thrive into the future.
“While I am very much focussed on improving health services and reducing health inequalities, we also need at the same time to encourage improvements in the health of the population.”
The Public Health Agency has brought together advice on different ways to look after your health and be more active.
https://www.choosetolivebetter.com/getting-active
https://www.choosetolivebetter.com/
The Health Minister was attending a walking football marathon organised by Hillsborough Walking Football Club. Walking football is for men and women over 50. The event raised money for the charity Eager Belvoirs Special Olympics Club.
The Minister has spoken publicly about his heart problems diagnosed in 2016, which have led to him having two stents, a pacemaker and a defibrillator.
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