Testing drinkers on the basis of arbitrary targets would be a gross waste of NHS resources
19 December 2016
SUGGESTED
Healthcare
IEA releases report on the NHS and reforms to improve outcomes
14 December 2016
Government and Institutions
IEA releases report on the effectiveness of 'industrial strategy'
21 December 2016
Housing and Planning
Reaction to NICE recommendation to scan those who drink above a certain amount of alcohol
Commenting on NICE’s recommendation that those drinking above a certain number of units per week should be sent for scans for cirrhosis, Christopher Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:
“The health lobby have become victims of their own propaganda. The average liver cirrhosis patient drinks vastly more than 35 units a week. Unnecessarily testing millions of people on the basis of an arbitrary target would be a colossal waste of NHS resources.
“There are chronic drinkers out there who would benefit from a liver test, but these people should be referred by their GP. The health service has a limited budget. It should target people who need help rather than indiscriminately those who do not.”
Notes to editors:
For media enquiries please contact Nerissa Chesterfield, Communications Officer: nchesterfield@iea.org.uk or 0207 799 8909 or 07766 221 268
The mission of the Institute of Economic Affairs is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems.
The IEA is a registered educational charity and independent of all political parties
“The health lobby have become victims of their own propaganda. The average liver cirrhosis patient drinks vastly more than 35 units a week. Unnecessarily testing millions of people on the basis of an arbitrary target would be a colossal waste of NHS resources.
“There are chronic drinkers out there who would benefit from a liver test, but these people should be referred by their GP. The health service has a limited budget. It should target people who need help rather than indiscriminately those who do not.”
Notes to editors:
For media enquiries please contact Nerissa Chesterfield, Communications Officer: nchesterfield@iea.org.uk or 0207 799 8909 or 07766 221 268
The mission of the Institute of Economic Affairs is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems.
The IEA is a registered educational charity and independent of all political parties
SHARE
