London, Thanasis Gavos

More than 1 million people on England died prematurely in the decade from 2011 onwards due to a combination of poverty, austerity and coronavirus.

This is a fatal cocktail inequality in terms of public health that has hit the lower income strata disproportionately hard.

These figures are presented in research by UCL University of London’s Institute for Health Equity under Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health Sir Michael Marmot, revealed by the Guardian.

According to the professor, it proves how much economic and social inequalities lead to premature deaths of poorer citizens from cancer, heart problems and other diseases.

The survey was based on official statistics and focused on the life expectancy of English residents living outside the 10% most affluent areas of the country.

More specifically, the research shows that from 2011 to 2019, 1,062,334 people died earlier than they would have if they lived in one of the areas included in the 10% of the wealthiest areas of England.

A further 151,615 premature deaths were recorded in 2020, although this number is higher than expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of these deaths, 148,000 are directly attributable to the austerity measures implemented by the Cameron government from 2010 onwards.

Professor Marmot commented that the more than 1 million premature deaths due to health inequalities were due to a “shocking policy failure”. He added that the only developed country where public health disparities are wider is the US.