91Èȱ¬

That's how long you are likely to live if you are a male or a female in Northern Ireland. according to the The averages cover the years 2006-2008 and are both up about 9.5 months on the previous average recorded in the years 2001 - 2003.

Michael McGimpsey makes the point that our ageing population is putting extra strain on the under resourced health service. But, looking at it from another tack, our hospitals, together with other factors such as better food intake, must be getting something right or we wouldn't be living longer in the first place. The Health Department puts the improvement down to falling circulatory disease in the over 60s. And whilst we are in need of doctors as our 76.4th and 81.3rd birthdays approach, haven't we enjoyed more years of decent health in our earlier decades than preceding generations?

So let's celebrate living longer whilst entering a note of caution about the statistical gaps opening up. For instance in deprived areas males only live to 71.8 years - nearly three years less than the average, and the rate of improvement in this group has been only about 2.5 months. By contrast people are living longer in rural areas (especially, it seems, the south east) due to a lower incidence of cancer and respiratory disease.

I'm spending today sucking lozenges and taking cold remedies. I think it's just a sore throat, but being a bordeline hypochondriac I am now starting to worry about where my eventual place will be in the Health Department's statistical pecking order.

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