Posted on 08/11/2014 3:20:34 AM PDT by markomalley
Scotland's second largest health board, NHS Lothian, will not be giving further treatment to smokers for non-urgent cases, with referrals from GPs being refused.
Dr. Zahid Raza said: "In Edinburgh, we will not see patients at the clinic that are still smoking. Evidence shows that they would not do well with the treatment." He also went onto say: "We try to avoid intervention and, in around 80 percent of cases, a smoker’s condition will improve just simply by stopping smoking and smoking other lifestyle changes."
Dr Jean Turner of the Scotland Patients Association said that she was "extremely disappointed", adding: "I'm really quite shocked. You should not refuse to see anybody and certainly not penalise patients who are smoking.
"It is very God like and highly unfair to refuse to see anybody referred…Doctors are there to see if they can help and relieve symptoms."
NHS Lothian is by no means unique. NHS Hertfordshire back in January 2012 also withdrew treatment to smokers and, as an ominous sign of the slippery slope, those with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 30 - i.e. the obese - are refused services too.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Coming to a national health system near you.
You can’t waste money on smokers if you’re going to provide sex-changes or breast implants for everyone who needs them. Smoking is an out-of-fashion lifestyle choice.
Don’t forget abortions and fertility treatments!
“Not seeing patients that are still smoking”. That actually makes sense to me. If you’re not trying to help yourself. It’s like the old joke...”Doc...It hurts when I do this. Don’t do that”.
Isn't it great that the democratts took away our healthcare system and gave us one just like this one? In fact ours is even better than the British NHS.
Instead of making medical decisions with our doctors (like before), the IRS now makes our decisions for us and our doctors, (Excluding our politicians of course-they exempted themselves from this policy).
Excellent point!
Really.
Then are you going to refund the tax money those smokers contributed to the system??????????????
…and “gender re-assignment”…..
25% of Americans smoke, I was once one and my wife still is, and this will happen here, if obamacare isn't ripped out by the roots.
Obamacare has been and will continue to be a total disaster, but the one doesn't care, it will lead the USA further down the socialist path.
“That actually makes sense to me. If you’re not trying to help yourself.”
Yep, any illness or injury related to lifestyle should be denied treatment. Overweight, high blood pressure, heart disease, STDs, sports injury, diabetics with anything other than perfect BMI, mental illness due to being an A-hole...
You favor the gummint telling free people that they can not do things that are legal or they won't be treated in a hospital?
What if you had a few drinks and wrecked your car. Can they choose not to treat you?
You might want to rethink your post, not rethink, just think.
I wonder if they are going to refuse to treat rock climbers?
Bump.
Smoking doesn’t always kill. I get a chuckle when reading about the latest “oldest person alive” story and they elder attributing their longevity to having a shot of whiskey and smoking every day.
Should healthcare be denied to the percentage that won’t suffer any ill effects from smoking?
Certainly not, especially when health insurance is mandatory.
The article points out that due to taxes on tobacco specifically for health coverage and increased insurance rates because of smoking, that smokers pay double for healthcare and cost 22% less in lifetime care costs over healthy people!
The argument for government healthcare was that everyone is entitled to healthcare. Now we find that this is not true – only the politically sanctioned are entitled – but the politically incorrect are not entitled even if they do pay twice as much and cost 22% less.
Once we classify healthcare based on political correctness, everything comes into play: Gay, Straight, Jewish, Muslim, White, Black, Male, Female, etc.
We cannot have these distinctions when it comes to mandatory universal healthcare.
The words “mandatory” and “universal” should also apply to being treated, not just who has to pay.
And tattoo removal and gastric bypass ...
Well played sir! (I notice Albie hasn't been back…….)
STDs, especially HIV, will always be given special treatment.
yep- and if you want to do any ransgender/makeitup
surgery- you go to the head of the LINE!
seriously started here in the U.S.- TRAITOR Manning-
in PRISON is getting what ever it wants-
other Honorably discharged soldiers?— take a number
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