The BMA is urging men to make more regular visits to their GP in a bid to raise general levels of health.
It is being done on the back of a campaign to raise awareness of testicular cancer being spearheaded by Welsh rugby captain Ryan Jones.
A BMA spokesman has said that the campaign highlights “the desperate need for decision makers to focus and develop specific policies that target men’s health”.
He cites evidence that men are much more reluctant to admit to health problems than women, and that men visit their family doctor and pharmacist less often than women.
“All this might not matter, except for the fact that men are less healthier than women. Their life expectancy is less than women’s, and at every age up until 79, more men die than women.”
A survey by The Men’s Health Forum found that one in 10 men admit to avoiding seeking help from a health professional because they are scared it might end in a hospital visit.
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that if we can get men to see their GP sooner, then they can be treated more quickly and lives can be saved.”
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