§ Mr. SarwarTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made in reducing the incidence of coronary heart disease in Scotland in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [69404]
§ Mr. GalbraithThe incidence of CHD is estimated using new hospital admissions and deaths which did not involve hospital admission. On that basis, the incidence rate for men has fallen from 689.3 per 100,000 population in 1987 to 585.6 in 1996 and for women from 502.3 per 100,000 population in 1987 to 480.2 in 1996.
369WSince the mid-1980s, significant progress has been made in reducing premature deaths from CHD. The mortality rate has reduced by 42 per cent. from the original baseline of 1986. The current target is to achieve a 40 per cent. reduction in deaths among the under-65s between 1990 and 2000. The latest figures show continued improvement, making it highly likely that the target will be met.
CHD continues to be one of the clinical priorities of the NHS in Scotland, as is shown by the establishment last autumn of the CHD Task Force, which is looking at all aspects of the disease. One of its priorities is the creation of a national CHD database, which will make the monitoring of CHD incidence much more comprehensive.
From 1 July 1999 this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.