On November 19, International Men’s Day celebrates worldwide the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities. Highlighting the positive role models and raise awareness of men’s well-being.
2023's theme is “ZERO MALE SUICIDE”.
Males aged 50-54 were found to have the highest suicide rate (22.5 per 100,000), and recent statistics show males remain almost 3 times as likely to die by suicide than females. Together we can stop male suicide.
2 in 5 men admit to regularly feeling worried or low, an increase since 2009.
Mims is pleased to announce a major new prostate cancer screening trial to save thousands of men’s lives, which is set to get underway in the UK, backed by £42 million of funding from the Government and Prostate Cancer UK – potentially saving thousands of men’s lives.
The first-of-its-kind trial will use innovative screening methods such as MRI to detect prostate cancer, and will see hundreds of thousands of men across the country participating. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK and has no screening programme. It usually has no symptoms until it has grown large and may be more difficult to treat – 12,000 men die of it every year.
The Department for Health and Social Care are will establish the first Men’s Health Task and Finish Group. Membership will include:
- behavioural scientists
- men’s health campaigners
- experts
- academics.
Together, they will help identify how we can help more men to engage with their health, including a focus on better understanding male access to primary care services, such as GPs, and male uptake of the NHS Health Check.
Mims Davies MP:
"It is crucial to recognise International Men's Day, even more so with this years theme being 'Zero Male Suicide'.
We lose far too many family members and friends to suicide and with the rise in male suicides, we need to invest and ensure it stops are the men in our lives feel comfortable to share how they are feeling.
I am also very pleased that DHSC will be recruiting for the UK’s first ever Men’s Health Ambassador and are inviting applications from anyone with an interest and expertise in men’s health. The successful candidate, will be announced in the coming months and will be responsible for increasing awareness of certain conditions and health needs faced by men."