The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 272 No 7285 p146
7 February 2004

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Big debate on public health wanted by Government

Health Secretary John Reid has called for a big debate on the roles of the Government, individuals and industries in improving public health.

Announcing a public consultation that will cover issues such as smoking, obesity and sexually transmitted diseases, Dr Reid said: “We know the medical evidence about how to improve health, but the Government can’t force people to be healthy.”

Further details of the consultation process will be announced later this month. The results will be fed into a White Paper on public health to published later this year.