Posted on 02/24/2008 2:02:35 PM PST by wagglebee
AN astonishing survey of medics for their in-house Doctor magazine has revealed they believe those suffering from what they see as self-inflicted diseases, like smokers, drinkers and the obese, should not receive free treatment. Have they got a point? PHIL DOHERTY reports . . .
WHEN football legend George Best underwent a liver swap operation because of years of drinking it is said to have led to a fall in those signing up to donor cards.
The argument was he brought it on himself and the organ should have been given to a more deserving cause. That the Manchester United legend, pictured below right, was an alcoholic and thus suffering from a disease cut little ice.
After his death in November 2005 some doctors demanded that no alcoholics receive transplant organs.
Thanks to the poll in Doctor Magazine, this argument has gone one step further, calling for the obese, smokers, heavy drinkers, the elderly, infertile couples and women seeking abortions all to be banned from receiving free medical treatment.
With one in 10 hospitals already denying some surgery to obese and smokers is it time to call an end to universal healthcare for all?
Dr Tony Calland, chairman of the British Medical Association’s Ethics Committee, believes someone’s age or lifestyle choices should have no impact on their eligibility for medical treatment.
He said: “It is outrageous to suggest because someone is old they would not have a right to be considered for treatment. The BMA believes decisions about NHS treatment should be based on clinical issues.
“For example, if someone’s weight makes an operation too risky then this would need to be discussed with the patient and perhaps they would be advised to lose weight before surgery could safely go ahead.
“Equally, if a patient’s age made them too frail to survive surgery, a decision may need to be taken to consider alternative treatment. These are clinical decisions based on individual circumstance and not blanket bans.”
According to North East’s Strategic Health Authority treating alcoholism in the region annually costs around £100m.
The number of clinically obese has more than doubled from 283 in 2003/04 to 666 in 2006/07 costing the region’s NHS Trusts at least £1m.
The survey of 870 medics by Doctor magazine found one in three medics believe old people should be denied treatment, half thought smokers should be banned from heart bypasses, and a quarter that the obese should not get hip replacements.
A huge 94 per cent said alcoholics should not be allowed liver transplants.
Vanessa Bourne, spokeswoman for the Patients’ Association, said: “There may be good clinical reasons why a particular treatment will or will not work on an individual patient.
“But there is a world of difference between that and a blanket ban on getting care because you do not do as you are told.”
One in five doctors in the survey said women seeking abortions should pay.
The Marie Stropes international charity, the biggest provider of abortions in the UK outside the NHS, said such a policy would see poor women seeking back street abortions.
Spokesman Tony Kerridge said: “As is often the case, the rich and the middle classes would find the financial resources to access abortion services privately, while the poor would be placed at great risk.
“There would be a return to cheap, unsafe, back-street abortions and incidences of women attempting to self abort and see a sharp rise in maternal deaths and also serious injuries. Treating these injuries would probably place a greater burden on the national health system than providing safe abortion services ever will.”
Help the Aged believes there can never be any justification for denying medical treatment on the grounds of age.
Spokesman Paul Cann said: “Not only is such a suggestion morally abhorrent and ageist, it runs counter to every founding principle of the NHS itself. Age is not a ‘lifestyle choice’ it is a fact of life. Older people have paid taxes through their lives, have worked and made contributions towards the health system on which they should expect to rely.”
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Great! I wonder if they will stop the AIDS cocktails and other treatment any time soon. Unless, of course, the victim acquired the disease from a blood transfusion and had an otherwise “safe,” lifestyle
Socialism always degenerates into totalitarian dictatorship, not matter how good the intentions.
“Survival Of The Most Politically CORRECT’
Would these same doctors refuse treatment of homosexual HIV/AIDS patients? Of any patient with a sexually-transmitted disease? Druggies getting “free” needles or methadone?
How about sports injuries? Chilbirth complications?
All results of lifestyle choices. But apparently some lifestyles are more worthy than others...
I wonder if HIV positive male homos will be turned away. After all, it IS elective behavior like drinking and smoking.
Interesting that they don't want to ban queers with AIDS.
The boys and girls in the nanny state seem to be admitting that its system fails to motivate much in the way of individual responsibility.
I say we pay the doctors half their salaries until they wise up and treat all the patients they have pledged to heal.
If doctors are given such rights, why not allow cops to be the final adjudicator?
and people actually want to bring this health system here?
Watch, then they’ll redefine *obese* until everybody is, just like they’ve done with cholesterol numbers.
If I have "good" genes and smoke, and someone else has lousy genes, doesn't smoke, but develops many serious illnesses, by the same goofy logic, why should I pay more than he does?
The trouble with dogmatists is that logic and consistency will never be their strong suit.
Yeah, gotta cut those old people out.
It’s a lifestyle choice; they brought it on themselves by aging.
Can’t have any of that now.
As for 'self inflicted', what about jock injuries? Nobody told them to take off their bubble wrap, and get on the field. Falling off a cliff, while rock climbing also sounds self-inflicted. Is it self inflicted if one ever ate a non-approved, non state-supplied meal? Where does it end?
No wonder my (even back then) Lib English & Literature teachers & profs didn't want us reading "that crap".
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