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Belevics: by 2065, the average lifespan in Latvia should be 90 years

BC, Riga, 26.03.2015.Print version
Health Minister Guntis Belevics (Greens/Farmers) intends to use the Health Ministry's Latvian Health Platform to reduce the percentage of the population who smoke and (ab)use alcohol or drugs to 1% by 2065, reports LETA.

During today's press conference, Belevics told media representatives that by 2065 he will make sure the average lifespan in Latvia be 90 years. In 2013, the average lifespan in Latvia was 74 years, which is one of the lowest in the European Union.

 

He also said that the number of healthy life years for both women and men will be 75, which is 16 to 20 years more than in 2012. In order to achieve this, the Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Center for Disease Prevention and Control, will focus on four pillars of the health platform – healthy food, addiction treatment, preventive healthcare, and physical activity.

 

Healthy food will help reduce the number of people who are overweight or obese. In 2012, the proportion of Latvian residents who were overweight was 32%, those suffering obesity – 18%. By 2065, the Health Ministry plans to reduce the number of overweight people to 10%, but obese people – to 5%. The ministry also wants to increase the proportion of people who engage in physical activity.

 

Belevics also intends to reward those residents who will turn to family practitioners of their own volition. The state could partially cover their medical payments, he said.

 






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