Wales determined to address inequality
Tuesday 3 June 2008
Wales' history of heavy industry and mining had taken its toll on the working populations of the country, with many of today's public health problems rooted in the legacy of these times, Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services for the Welsh Assembly Government, Gwenda Thomas, told delegates in Tuesday morning's opening plenary. ‘But Wales is a small vibrant country, exhibiting true resilience and determination to put right the injustice and inequality of the past and provide a society which is fair to all and sustainable,' she said.
There is much good work going on across the country to improve the health of the population, she said. Local public health teams are doing excellent work around things like breastfeeding and immunisation programmes, working hard to counter misinformation and media scare stories. Drawing the work together are the local Health and Social Care Wellbeing Strategies, partnerships between the NHS and local government across the 22 local authority areas of Wales. 'Together we can build on our legacies to tackle inequality and have a fairer and healthier future,' she said.
'One Wales'
The Welsh Assembly Government is committed to the One Wales programme of government, she told delegates. ‘At the heart of our actions is the idea that we want a fairer Wales that builds on our pasts, acknowledging culture, language, history and uses our strengths to have a sustainable future for all people where age, disability, race, gender, religion or beliefs and sexual orientation are no longer barriers to opportunity.'
Watch Gwenda Thomas' speech in the online recording of the opening session.