“Worrying gulf” between men and women who report illness

New figures published today by the Welsh Government reveal that significantly more women in Wales report having an illness than men.

According to the findings of the Welsh Health Survey, 54% of women say they suffer from an illness – both physical and mental – compared to 47% of men.

The newly appointed Welsh Conservative Shadow Spokesperson for Health, Angela Burns AM, called this a “worrying gulf” and considered the effect of self-awareness among men of their own health.

She said: “The report points to a worrying gulf in the number of women and men who report living with illness.

“Previous research has shown that men who develop diseases like cancer and diabetes tend to be diagnosed later than women.

“It is often the case that men are often less aware of their symptoms or the triggers and are reluctant to seek help, possibly reluctant to admit when something is wrong.

“The delay in going to the doctor means their symptoms can become more advanced and harder to treat.

“To be sure, the data suggests that there remains an issue with male self-awareness of ill-health, and steps must be taken by the Welsh Government to address this.”

Collectively, the report shows that over half (51%) the nation is reported to live with illness, something which Ms Burns said was unacceptably high.

Ms Burns added: “We must also consider the economic impact of ill-health.

“The less healthy people are the more demand they place on our health service but are less able to work and contribute to its upkeep.

“Nearly half the government budget is already being spent on the NHS – a figure which is only likely to increase unless the Minister for Public Health brings forward a bold and decisive public health strategy.

“We cannot afford to allow this to spiral further out of control. It is unsustainable and we need to nip it in the bud before the tide becomes irreversible and our health services are run down to a state of collapse.”