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Liz LynneLiberal Democrat MEP for the West Midlands 1999-2012 |
Early action on bone health care could save billions, says MEP on World Osteoporosis Day
October 20, 2009 1:18 PM
Liz Lynne MEP inspecting a mobile bone health testing facility.
A drive to detect and prevent broken bones caused by Osteoporosis could save billions of pounds and deserves a higher priority for health ministers in Britain and around Europe, MEP Liz Lynne said today, World Osteoporosis Day.
The LibDem MEP is strongly backing calls by the International Osteoporosis Foundation for the NHS and other healthcare agencies in the EU to step up prevention and treatment of the disease, which affects one in three women and one in five men over 50.
Liz Lynne, first Vice President of the Employment and Social Affairs Committee in the European Parliament said: "Osteoporosis is a major cause of suffering and death for older people, men as well as women, and the cost of caring for broken bones is very high, yet not enough is done to prevent and manage the condition.
"We now have the recession causing pressure on health care budgets, but an ageing population where the number of fractures is set to double over the next 30 years.
"World Osteoporosis Day is useful occasion to remind ministers and health policymakers that there can be enormous gains in quality of life and huge cost savings from simple changes in the way this bone thinning condition is looked for, prevented and managed.
"The shocking truth is that up to one in five people die within one year of a hip fracture, and up to 80% of patients at high risk have not been identified or treated."
She welcomed the publication today of a report by the International Osteoporosis Foundation backing the use of the World Health Organisation's FRAX risk assessment tool, a simple online process which helps clinicians to identify those at highest risk of breaking a bone.
Liz added: "Osteoporosis is not inevitable, it is much less likely if you do not drink or smoke, if you ensure your diet includes calcium, keep active and avoid obesity. And it does make economic sense as well as common sense to help people at high risk avoid a fracture."
Liz Lynne welcomed the strong statement in support of World Osteoporosis Day by the EU Commissioner for Health, Androulla Vassiliou. The Commissioner stressed that "osteoporosis must remain a major health priority for all of us" and congratulated the positive achievements of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and the EU Osteoporosis Consultation Panel, pledging that co-operation between the Panel and the Commission will continue.
Liz Lynne added: "At EU level, more can be done to monitor osteoporosis care, promote development of fracture registries and better data on the prevalence and costs of osteoporosis. Best practice among EU health care systems can be shared to the benefit of patients as well as the public purse."
ENDS
Notes: Despite significant advances in science and medicine, the reality today is that:
· Between 12 to 20% of people die within one year following a hip fracture.
· It is estimated that 80% of those who are at high risk of osteoporosis, and have suffered at least one fracture, have neither been identified nor treated for the disease.
· Many national governments do not treat osteoporosis as a major health priority and fail to provide adequate resources for its detection and treatment.
· Many health insurance schemes (private and public) will not cover diagnosis and treatment prior to the first fracture - even when it is cost effective to do so.
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