FALL IN HEALTH INEQUALITIES AS INVESTMENT IN HEALTH CONTINUES TO PAY OFF

Falkirk West MSP Michael Matheson has welcomed new figures showing a huge fall in mortality rates for heart disease and stroke over the last decade – and is paying tribute to another success story for Scotland’s health service.

The figures, published by ISD Scotland, show a 43 per cent fall in mortality for heart disease between 2004 and 2013 – and a 41 per cent drop in mortality for strokes over the same the period.

The statistics also show a real improvement in reducing health inequalities – with the absolute gap in death rates between the most deprived and least deprived communities in Scotland falling by a third over the decade.

Commenting, Mr Matheson said:

“These very welcome figures are a real success story for Scotland’s health service, and testament to the hard-work and dedication of our NHS staff and to the Scottish Government’s continued investment which is clearly paying dividends.

“The fall in health inequalities is particularly welcome – while the gap in mortality rates between our most and least deprived communities is still too high, I am delighted that this clear progress has been made.

“And while there is more work to be done to further improve the nation’s health, these figures show that we are on the right track, that the Scottish Government’s strategy for tackling heart disease and stroke is working.