Ministers urgently need to come up with credible and comprehensive strategy to minimise prevalence of lung diseases – Sharon Hodgson

Sharon
Hodgson MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Public Health, reacting to the
British Lung Foundation’s report into the economic cost of lung disease in the
UK, said:

“Lung
disease is a major health issue here in our country. The British Lung
Foundation’s eye-opening report today is an important step in highlighting the
staggering and rising cost of this illness. There is not only a financial toll
for our society but for the NHS as well. It is so important that we do all we
can to address the various lung-related illnesses and diseases that people face
and make inroads into improving respiratory health.

“Ministers
urgently need to come up with a credible and comprehensive strategy to minimise
the prevalence of lung diseases in our country, and also to reduce the costs of
this illness on our society and our already stretched NHS.

“The cost of lung disease in the UK is getting
worse by the year and this enormous human and financial impact just can’t be
allowed to continue. The Government must be much more proactive in raising
awareness among the public and investing in preventative health measures which
can head off the risks of lung disease in years to come.”