Health Week aims for Bunbury men to see doctor

Men across the region are being encouraged to visit the doctor for a check up as part of Men’s Health Week, which started yesterday.

Brecken Health Care managing director and general practitioner Brenda Murrison said it was important for everyone to regularly visit a doctor, but unfortunately men did not seem to do so.

“Men are as much at risk of health complaints as women but they just don’t come, which is a worry,” Dr Murrison said.

“A lot of men don’t have a regular GP, and that in itself is a problem because they don’t have a regular person to discuss things with.

We want them to come more often — there’s plenty of male and female GPs to choose from.

The health status of males in most countries, including Australia, is generally poorer than that of females, and Dr Murrison urged men to get the necessary yearly doctor’s visits.

“It’s a pity they don’t come more often because there’s so much preventative health they would benefit from.

“We know cancer diagnosis is down 30 per cent for the pandemic, which means there’s an awful lot of blokes out there that maybe haven’t had their prostate specific antigen test or maybe haven’t done their faecal occult blood for their colon cancer screening.”

Bunbury psychologist Jay Anderson encouraged men to reach out to professionals if they were in need of help.

“If you have experienced some recent changes in your life, it can help to discuss and share these challenges with someone who cares about you. If that feels challenging, then contact a professional,” Mrs Anderson said.