Obese People & Smokers Are ‘Soft Targets’ For NHS Savings
The Royal College of Surgeons say that growing numbers of obese people and smokers are being denied operations as they become “soft targets” for an NHS which has become desperate to save money. According to evidence, they found that patients were being refused hip and knee replacements and a range of other procedures in more and more parts of England. They found that 34 per cent of the 200 health commissioners have one or more policies on body mass index (BMI) level or smoking status which prevent overweight patients or smokers being referred for routine surgery.