Debate contribution: Cancer: Rural Inequalities

Debate contribution by Mr Mike Nesbitt on 18 February 2025.

MLA: Mr Mike Nesbitt
Party at the time: Ulster Unionist Party
Date: 18 February 2025
Type: Debate contribution (made as a minister)
Business: Oral Answers to Questions
Heading: Cancer: Rural Inequalities
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 4806406

Text

I will take a broader run at answering the Member's question. He will be aware that the area of health inequalities is where I want to put a focus in my remaining time as Minister. The term "health inequalities" is almost shorthand for three things: inequalities, as in outcomes; health inequities, as in access to healthcare; and health literacy, because people in some areas, particularly areas of deprivation, do not know how to navigate the health and social care system in the way that Members might. The rural challenges are greater than the urban challenges. The Live Better initiative to tackle health inequalities is running in two demonstration areas. Those areas were deliberately chosen because they are tight urban areas, so the empirical evidence can be collected more easily, which will be much harder to do over a rural geographic spread. That does not mean that we are going to ignore the rural areas.
It just means that I need to be able to go back to my Executive colleagues and say, "Here is really solid empirical evidence that these interventions work. Now we are going to face the test of making them work in rural areas, which are more challenging". That will include cancer diagnosis and treatment.

208 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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