In a previous post it was mentioned that you should not make jokes about politicians because too many get elected. A particularly sick joke can be made about the comments made by Ben Bradshaw MP, Labour Health Minister, who claimed that there was a health bonus in higher unemployment rates because it would mean that more men would see their doctor, because they had the time.
There has been much commentary in the UK media on this, rightly so (Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, The Sun, The Express). However, it misses one crucial point, it proves the National Health Service adequately cater for men.
Everyone in the UK is forced to pay taxes for the health service and therefore the health service should be available for everyone, man or woman, when they need it at a time that suits them.
What Ben Bradshaw is effectively admitting is that the health service and GP surgery opening hours are not suitable for the working man because he cannot get a 'heath check' because he is too busy earning his and his families' upkeep. This is because the health service and GP opening hours are based around what suits them and not their paying customers who are forced to pay the taxes. This is wrong.
What Bradshaw should be saying, and of course he won't as he is a member of the most anti-male Government in the history of the United Kingdom, is that the opening hours of GP surgeries and other parts of the health service, should change or be modified to fit around the working lives of men.
He has it the wrong the way round and health checks should be made available for men all week round. But that would mean equality.
Yes. This was largely missed in the reporting. Many Men,s health organisations are campaigning for better hours of opening and a more proactive approach to helping men. Can I draw readers attention to Men's Health week in June. Link below:
http://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/userpage1.cfm?item_id=2088
Please do publicise this if you can.
Posted by: Nigel | Thursday, 26 March 2009 at 09:50
Obviously access to heathcare is an absolutely massive issue for men and a big reason why men's lives are so much shorter than women's.
However, there are other issues too - men's lives are not valued as much as women's and emphasis on their heath is also neglected by the government and by heathcare charities generally.
For example the first ever screening program for a men's heath issue (relating to aortic aneurysms) is currently being phased in, some 40 years after the first female specific screenings. Of course aortic aneurysms are far biger killers of men than many of the problems women are screened for, but men just aren't important are they?
The government really enjoys bashing men for supposedly neglecting their health but I don't buy this. So many men I know exercise far, far more than women, smoke less and eat fairly sensibly.
Admittedly they do work too hard sometimes and push themselves too hard and might be slower at reacting to a problem, but this clearly isn't due to some sort of death wish or lack of respect for their bodies.
Men ares just supposed to get on with things and their health just isn't an issue. The biggest proof of this is Cancer research - a huge organisation - who's biggest event is for women only. They, just like our government, constantly send out the message that cancer is a women's issue and not something for anyone else to worry about, which couldn't be further from the truth.
Given such messages combined with the bigger problem of terrible healthcare access is it any wonder that men don't manage to visit the doctor more often?
they clearly value their health tremendously, it's the heathcare system they're not so fond of (mostly due to it not being especially fond of them).
Posted by: John Kimble | Thursday, 26 March 2009 at 23:16
my local GP practice are now doing later opening one day per week, I've got a 6.30pm appointment next week, so I can personally report some progress on one front where men are disadvantaged. I'm certainly going out of my way now to pester my doctor with any ailment, more men need to do the same!
Posted by: CS | Friday, 10 July 2009 at 22:33
To remove the door, you just need to lift the door out of the bottom rail of the frame and pushing it in to the house.
Posted by: door sensors | Monday, 18 June 2012 at 15:25