Senedd Members have questioned the Welsh Government over a new £8 million obesity strategy, tightening restrictions on youth vaping, and regional inequalities in cancer screening.
Deputy minister for public and preventative health, Nerys Evans, confirmed Public Health Wales has secured the funding through the obesity pathway innovation programme.
The funding will be used to develop new NHS treatment models for obesity, viewing it as a chronic condition rather than a short-term issue.
The announcement on Tuesday July 14 followed a speech to the Senedd, where Ms Evans outlined her preventative healthcare priorities and drew on the words of Aneurin Bevan: “The victories won by preventive medicine are much the most important for mankind.”
Emphasising the importance of prevention in healthcare, Ms Evans said: “The need to make this change is not new. What has been missing is the determination to deliver it.
“For too long, our models, processes and ways of working have been built around responding to crises, rather than preventing them and helping people to live healthier and happier lives.
“This changes now. Under this government, success will be measured not by the number of hospital admissions, but by the number of people who stay healthy enough to avoid hospital altogether.”
Ms Evans told Senedd colleagues that providing healthy environments, better access to sustainable and nutritious food, and addressing vaping amongst young people were among her top priorities as minister.
Concluding her speech she said: “We firmly believe that building a healthier population is not only a moral imperative, particularly in tackling deep-rooted inequalities, but is also fundamental to improving the wider prosperity and resilience of our nation.”
Facing questions from the opposition benches, Ms Evans took questions on funding for weight loss jabs, screening and vaccinations, and vaping and smoking.
Reform’s James Evans pressed the deputy minister on the longer term impacts of weight loss medication.
Drawing attention to the national lung cancer screening programme that was introduced by Welsh Labour, Jayne Bryant quizzed Ms Evans on her plans to encourage participation in screenings and vaccination programmes.
Ms Bryant – who is Labour’s spokesperson for public and preventative health – also acknowledged the HPV vaccine, noting that since its introduction in 2008 the vaccine has “reduced cervical cancer rates by almost 90% in women in their 20s”.
