Positive message on Scots' health

Dr Mac Armstrong: "Early signs of recovery"

Scotland's chief medical officer has delivered a positive prognosis for the country's future health on his last day in the post.

Dr Mac Armstrong said Scotland was starting to shed its "sick man of Europe" tag - although it could take a generation to turn things around.

His "proudest moment" was the approval of a ban on smoking in public places.

Dr Armstrong is retiring after more than four years as the Scottish Executive's principal medical adviser.

His successor has yet to be appointed.

The father-of-two took on the job in January 2001 after eight years as UK secretary of the British Medical Association.

Binge drinking

Speaking on his last day in office, he said: "Scotland has lived for too long with this legacy of one of the most appalling health records in Europe.

"Whilst there is still much to be improved, particularly in regard to our binge drinking culture, we are now starting to see some early signs of recovery."

He said concentrated efforts on reducing coronary heart disease had led to a 38% fall in rates since 1995.

We have set targets, developed initiatives and modernised NHS contracts so that they are appropriate for Scotland Dr Mac Armstrong

Dr Armstrong also identified "a wider cultural change" in people's attitudes towards health - including smoking.

"It is going to be a long haul and there is no short-term fix. It will take a generation to turn around the ills of Scotland's health record," he said.

"But lifting the smoke blanket from our pubs, clubs and all enclosed public places will help immensely.

"It is certainly what has given me most pride in my time as chief medical officer. It is undoubtedly the most significant measure in a generation to help improve our nation's health and countless lives will be saved."

He said it would be a significant step towards banishing Scotland's image as the "sick man of Europe".

It is our view that the health service is making a lot of progress, although that is not to say that there are not challenges to overcome Hilary Robertson Scottish NHS Confederation

Dr Armstrong said devolution had led to a new era for the NHS in Scotland.

"We have set targets, developed initiatives and modernised NHS contracts so that they are appropriate for Scotland, and the particular issues that affect us up here," he said.

Hilary Robertson, director of the Scottish NHS Confederation, echoed his comments.

"It is our view that the health service is making a lot of progress, although that is not to say that there are not challenges to overcome," she said.

"There is a lot of good progress being made, and on the clinical side a lot of the work has been long-term in terms of trying to reduce heart disease rates. You don't see that kind of change happening overnight.

"A lot of the progress we are seeing, with the number of people affected by heart disease falling, is because there has been this concerted effort over a number of years."