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Justice for Men & Boys 
The PSA test, like many other initial screenings can only give a likely reading there are simple further tests to establish if a cancer is present. The continued obfuscation about this really does reveal the low priority given to men. Cameron’s story shows this, simple test indicates cancer may be present; has further tests to establish what is present and early treatment as a result. All the screenings currently come with a caveat and are only the first stage in establishing if a cancer (or infection etc.) may be present.
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This a rare piece that goes beyond the usual “its men’s fault they go to the Doctor too late if at all”. In pointing out there practical reasons men use health service at half the rate women do. “Preventative care only works if people actually use it, and too many men aren’t getting that chance.””It’s often a mix of long GP wait times, work hours that don’t allow flexibility, and a lack of clear reminders to go in the first place. Without those touchpoints, people put it off, and sometimes, they don’t make it back before something goes wrong.” “Women tend to have more points of contact with healthcare, whether it’s through contraception, pregnancy, or regular screenings. Men don’t have that same structure built in, and without something prompting them to check in, many just don’t. That absence of routine care isn’t a small gap. It’s part of why lives keep being cut short.”Men Are Dying Younger Again, And Experts Say It’s No Accident – CouchGlue
In my own case it was when I turned 65 that I started to be “invited” to various check ups and screenings. Prior to that it had been 20 years since my last visit to the Doctor and I had never been screened or invited for anything. I had been too busy with work, children and a very sick wife to think of my health and had no promptings to suggest any checks. As far as I can tell my contemporaries have the same experience. Yet women, who actually have their very own specialisms within medicine have had a parade of routine contacts throughout their lives. No surprise things are “picked up” way earlier. It exasperates me when people advance this idea men somehow are wilfully ignoring their own wellbeing and don’t deserve the same proactive approach given to women.
And of particular note to me is this piece recognising that its men who do the sorts of jobs that come with health risks.
“Jobs in construction, farming, logistics, and emergency services still carry major physical risks, and most of these roles are done by men. Even with better health and safety rules, long-term exposure to noise, dust, chemicals, and shift work does real damage. It just doesn’t always show up right away.
Years of wear and tear—bad backs, joint pain, chronic fatigue—are often ignored or pushed through. These jobs also tend to come with a culture of silence around pain or stress, so people keep going until their bodies can’t anymore. The danger isn’t just on the job site. It follows them home and into later life.”
In terms of life expectancy the biggest gaps between men and women are in the solidly working class districts (there are district based stats from Public Health) in the worst of these districts the gaps between men and women is a decade. Tellingly these gaps are as big between men in affluent districts and the working class districts. Whereas the differences for affluent and working class women are small. Clearly suggesting the link between occupations and future health, not just wealth otherwise poor women and affluent women would not have such a small gap!
No doubt reflecting the apparent assumption everybody works in an office 9 to 5 and the “invisibility” of the many occupations that are male dominated and keep our whole civilisation going. This occupational factor is rarely even mentioned.
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Wes Streeting prepared to overrule prostate cancer screening advice Its extraordinary isn’t it that there should be a “battle” about rolling out a simple programme. The first screening programme I’ve been involved in is the bowel cancer one. Which says clearly it is a first step and a positive result may or may not indicate cancer is present, further diagnosis will be needed. It shows how worth less men are that a simple roll out of an initial screening programme is not “cost effective”. I hope Wes Streeting does plough on with this. Perhaps a gay man might actually like men and think a bit of extra effort is worth it.
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