Dr David Bailey, chair of the BMA’s Welsh Council

THE impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Wales has been enormous, but not everyone has borne the brunt equally. The impact of the virus, as well as the restrictions designed to reduce its spread, have affected and will continue to affect different groups to varying degrees of severity.

BMA Cymru Wales is urging the next Welsh Government to take comprehensive action to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on health inequalities – such action will be vital for an inclusive long-term socioeconomic recovery.

Doctors fear that the unacceptable inequalities that existed before the pandemic will only worsen for families who have been pushed into poverty and disadvantaged communities that face further hardship due to job losses and Covid-19’s socioeconomic impact.

School closures and the knock-on effect on vulnerable children’s wellbeing and mental health; the disproportionate impact of the virus itself on black, Asian and ethnic minority communities; and regional variations in death rates between people living in the least and most deprived areas of the country, risk negatively impacting the nation’s future health if action isn’t urgently taken.

In Wales over a third of the years of life lost are due to socioeconomic inequality and many of these inequalities could be avoided if communities were given the support they need.

The pandemic has further highlighted the existing difficulties faced by many people because of their living circumstances and Covid-19 has disproportionately affected them.

We need only look to the fact that Rhondda Cynon Taf has the highest death rate in the UK and is also one of only two areas of Wales with more than 30 people unemployed and claiming benefits per job vacancy. This points to a deeper problem of an already socially disadvantaged area being disproportionately impacted by Covid-19.

We must use this as an opportunity to work towards addressing the underlying inequalities which lead to unacceptable and avoidable differences in life expectancy, as well as quality of life across all communities in Wales.

The Senedd election this May presents a vital opportunity to make addressing health inequalities a central part of the national approach to health and wellbeing and must not be overshadowed by a narrow focus on health security and infectious diseases.

We recently joined with more than 30 organisations in Wales including royal colleges, Cancer Research Wales, Samaritans Cymru, Community Housing Cymru and the Association of Directors of Social Services Cymru to jointly call on all political parties to commit to developing a cross-government health inequalities strategy with a clear action plan and milestones, working in collaboration with partners across every sector. Support for a strategy is overwhelming, and the time to act is now.

In our latest report, Mitigating the Impact of Covid-19 on Health Inequalities, we set out a number of recommendations for governments across the UK, including the next Welsh Government, as part of plans to address health inequalities both for the remainder of the pandemic and in its wake.

From ensuring vulnerable groups are appropriately supported to access to Covid-19 vaccines to funding support programmes which go beyond educational support for vulnerable children who have been particularly affected by the lockdowns to reduce the risk of adverse childhood experiences, there is much to do, and the next Welsh Government must act swiftly to protect and improve the health of our nation.

Our full report and recommendations can be viewed on our website www.bma.org.uk