MEN living in some of the country's most deprived areas can expect to die up to a decade earlier than the average Scot, marking the first decrease in life expectancy in the UK since the second world war.
Opposition politicians rounded on the Scottish Executive after an NHS report revealed that men living in certain parts of Glasgow are expected to die before they reach retiring age - 14 years less than the average British male.
John Swinney, the SNP leader called the figures a national scandal, while Tommy Sheridan, leader of the Scottish Socialist party, called on the executive to take radical action to improve the nation's health.
Over the past decade, life expectancy for Scottish men has risen by two years except for those in poverty stricken areas in the east end of Glasgow. Men living in areas like Shettleston are expected to die at the age of 63, up to 10 years younger than the average Scottish man. Women living there can expect to live until they are 75, an increase of two years on the past decade.
Mr Swinney said: ''If you listen to ministers you would believe that Scotland is forging ahead. They live in a Holyrood cloud-cuckoo land where everything is rosy.
''They should try life in Shettleston, then they would discover the reality for thousands of Scots. This has to be the final nail in the coffin of the executive's complacency. If we don't halt this decline, I fear for the future of Scotland.''
Mr Sheridan said the figures proved that poverty killed and that government policies were failing to make any real impact on Scotland's poorest individuals. He said: ''The Scottish Executive must now face the fact that radical measures are needed to deal with the terrible problem of Scotland's health.''
The executive described the growing health gap as very concerning, but warned there were no quick fixes to the problem.
The report will be officially published by Tom McCabe, deputy health minister, along with other health related data on each of Scotland's 73 constituencies, on Friday.
Professor Ken Judge, head of public health at Glasgow University and lead author of the report, blamed poor diet, alcohol, smoking and a lack of exercise for this first decrease in life expectancy in the UK since the second world war.
Tom McKeown, a Labour councillor for the Shettleston ward, admitted it would take some time for the figures to change.
He said: ''It certainly indicates there's a lot more work to be done despite the positive programmes that already run in the area by Glasgow City Council and the NHS for instance.
''There's still a great deal of work needed in terms of alleviating these shocking mortality statistics. It will be a long haul.''
Frank McAveety, MSP for Shettleston, said the fundamental causes of reduced life expectancy were a combination of poverty, inequality and lifestyle. He said: ''We should be angry about statistics like this. We need to try and change those.''
He added that already in the east end of Glasgow there were moves to do this, including investing in new and refurbished schools as well as improvements to housing through stock transfer.
An executive spokesman said: ''Overall health is improving in Scotland. However, the health gap between our most affluent and most deprived communities is very concerning which is why tackling health inequalities is at the heart of the executive's health improvement agenda.''
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