NHS Dumfries and Galloway has welcomed a new study suggesting that minimum unit pricing in Scotland has led to fewer alcohol-related deaths compared with England.
The research, published in medical journal the Lancet, estimated that since the introduction of minimum pricing in May 2018 to December 2020 there had been 390 fewer deaths and 1,000 fewer hospital admissions.
It noted that prior to 2018, alcohol-related admissions in Scotland were running at almost double the rate south of the border.
But over the 32-month period the gap narrowed – pointing to the scheme’s positive impact on cutting damaging long term drinking.
Dr Kenneth Donaldson, medical director at NHS Dumfries and Galloway, welcomed the research, which was collated by Public Health Scotland and the University of Glasgow.
He said: “This is very good news. In Dumfries and Galloway, as is the case across Scotland, alcohol use is responsible for a significant number of hospital admissions and deaths.
“Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership will continue to work to support people who are experiencing adverse health effects from alcohol use.
“However, it is better to prevent those adverse effects in the first place.
“If minimum pricing is leading people to consume alcohol only in moderation, rather than in amounts that are damaging their health and putting them in hospital, it will be a real benefit to the whole community - as well as reducing the pressure on health and social care services.”
