Research from Cancer Research UK (an organisation that bans men from its "Race for Life"!!!) and the National Cancer Intelligence Network proclaimed (Daily Mail) that their research showed that men are 70% more likely to die from cancer than women, the usual guff was trotted out that men better mend their ways and lose their stiff upper lip and see their doctor more often.
While accepting that men do smoke and drink more, and there is an issue about men 'just getting on with it' (BBC) so it's likely they will have a higher cancer rate unless that's changed, it is always too easy to just blame men and not look at ways the NHS and GP's should.
Is it that the producer interest (GP's/NHS) could do more to help their customers (men) who through their taxes pay their wages?
The problem is (and it has been looked at before) is that GP's only tend to be open when men are at work.
More men are in full time work than women, more men work in jobs where there is no flexibility (manual work), more men spend time away from home working and men work longer hours than woman. It is easier for a woman to get to see a GP in the week during working hours than it is for a man.
Therefore, if the NHS/GP's and all those organisations that say men need to do more (except the excellent Men's Health Forum), well how about they do more. How about opening on Saturday's or later in the evening, how about meeting the needs of those who pay their wages and be more flexible.
If any of the parties are serious about men's health in this General Election then this should be a manifesto commitment.
Hattip - Groan
Posted by Skimmington
Excellent, though even this article is quite conservative on the issues/stats.
Yes men drink more, but then men's bodies cope far, far better with alcohol than women's. Also the stats I read showed little difference in terms of smoking between the genders - I guess that area is uncertain? Also obesity and lack of exercise are bigger issues for females than males yet they are equally as serious as smoking and drinking if not more so.
Another key issue is that women generally engage with the health services by default - i.e. they basically are forced to see a doctor for contraception, pregnancy, bringing up childrne etc.
Thus to achieve equality in terms of use of healthcare we'd need to reach out to men even if factors such a different working patterns and general misandry didn't exist.
Posted by: John Kimble | Saturday, 10 April 2010 at 02:47