Welsh Conservatives today called on Welsh Ministers to consider ways to help people making New Year’s resolutions to quit smoking, lose weight or lead a healthier lifestyle.
The UK Government has announced measures to aid smoking cessation in England, but Welsh Conservatives are concerned that the Assembly Government may not be prepared to help people in Wales.
Nick Ramsay AM, Shadow Minister for Health and Social Services, said, “As we approach the start of 2011, many people will be making resolutions to lead a healthier lifestyle, but these can often be difficult to maintain.
“Wales has some of the highest rates of ill-health in the UK with rising rates of diabetes, heart disease and cancer, while evidence shows that the incidence of such conditions can be greatly reduced by eating healthily, exercising regularly and by not smoking.
“Tackling smoking-related conditions costs the NHS millions every year, so helping smokers to quit releases more money for improvements to NHS services and could save smokers thousands of pounds.
“The Assembly Government should be encouraging those who take brave steps to improve their own and their family’s health and help them to sustain lifestyle improvements far into the New Year and beyond.
“Welsh Conservatives believe that more should be done to tackle the causes of ill-health in Wales, which is why we are committed to appointing a Deputy Minister for Public Health to work across government departments to improve the health of the nation.”
