Sir Liam Donaldson is leading the charge for preventive care strategies

Sir Liam Donaldson has used his position as England's chief medical officer to draw attention to the preventable problems, such as smoking, alcohol and obesity, which are putting major strains on healthcare systems.

In this video interview with the Economist Intelligence Unit, Sir Liam explains why a modern view of public health should be a balance between the responsibility of citizens for their own health, and that of governments to make it easier for them to pursue it.

Sir Liam, who began his career as a surgeon, says that doctors, too, need to develop skills in prevention to help to reduce the burden of disease on healthcare systems. In this interview, he calls on doctors to make more decisions based on evidence rather than intuition, and to see the doctor-patient relationship as an equal partnership in the provision of care.