According to a BBC report – http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7968734.stm, the government would like to offer 40-74 years to visit their GP surgeries for a check up, in order to prevent deaths from heart attacks and strokes.
On the surface this seems a sensible thing to propose, but when you realise that GPs are generally far too busy to spend more than 5 or 10 minutes per patient, adding further patients to their list can only make patient contact time less, and more drug prescriptions. I can see the only winner being the drug companies, who’s drugs they will prescribe to this new wave of patients!
In my opinion, these people who perhaps do not visit their doctor but have unhealthy lifestyles (passive people), should be given the option to learn about food, hydration, sleep, and other lifestyle issues through education programs. Working with practitioners from private and public sectors who have a track record of using these basic tools successfully to empower people to help themselves and to take responsibility for their own health.
These may be personal trainers, nutritionists, CHEK practitioners, and sleep experts, who if they combined and worked together could make a huge difference to the health of these ‘passive’ people, who need to be activated rather than medicated.
At dc Integrated Health run regular courses that any one can attend, helping people to help themselves with basic tools, like the food and water the consume, and the quality of their sleep – making huge positive differences to their health.