People of Northern Ireland are dying too young, due to problems dating back to the turn of the 20th century, Northern Ireland Health Minister Ms Bairbre de Brún said today.
The Sinn Féin minister pledged to tackle poor health in Northern Ireland by combating social inequalities.
At the Sinn Féin ard fheis in Dublin she admitted "scarcely a day goes by" without a crisis in Northern Ireland's hospitals.
"Our hospitals and community care systems are under enormous pressures. Scarcely a day goes by without a critical media focus on our hospitals. There is a particular focus, north and south, on waiting lists and waiting times.
"I am keenly aware that the increased numbers of people waiting for hospital treatment in the North demonstrates the depth of the problems that need to be addressed.
"The causes of ill-health are as marked today as they were at the turn of the 20th century - poverty, poor housing and other social and environmental factors still determine our health status.
"Compared with other regions in western Europe, we die too young and too many of us suffer unnecessarily for years from painful and disabling conditions. This is unacceptable."
Consultation was now going ahead to find ways of tackling teenage pregnancy, mental health and smoking.
She added: "We cannot depend on the Health Service alone to improve the health of our people. The greatest gains in our health over the past 100 years have been achieved through improvements in other arenas, including education, working conditions, housing, food safety, water supplies, waste management and physical environment."
PA