The number of cases of hospital admission in England because of alcohol consumption has increased by 8% in the year 2007-08 to reach over 860,000 patients. The actual increase is about 175 cases on average for each day of the year. The peak loading on A & E departments may be imagined!
The total included 560,000 people with problems due to drinking, that is who might not have been drunk at the time, including sufferers from cirrhosis of the liver and some involved in traffic accidents.
Deaths from chronic liver disease increased by 2.8.% in 2007-08, to reach 10,928 for men, and by 2.4% to reach 6,293 for women.
The figures were compiled as Local Alcohol Profiles for England, by the North West Public Health Observatory, and includes comparisons between counties and between cities.
It seems superfluous to attempt any comment, as this process has been present for some years. Politicians debate impositions on retailers and taxes on drink, but nothing seems to happen. With an estimated more than one million "alcoholics"in this country, both the personal cost to those suffering abuse and the social cost imposed on society suggest that action is long overdue!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment