14 DAY TRIAL // Obesity has long ceased to be an isolated occurrence, something that is only someone else’s problem, having now been awarded the status of “epidemic” that calls for immediate action and concrete measures to fight it. This is also the conclusion politicians in the UK have come to after data held by the NHS was made public, uncovering shocking amounts of money being invested in reinforced medical equipment for the obese.
Two thirds of adults and almost one third of children in Britain are either overweight or obese and, quite understandably, this also takes its toll on the medical system. As data furnished by the NHS reveals, an estimated £45 million was spent in 2008 alone of making sure that hospitals and clinics could treat obese patients. A shocking figure that could have been used best for other things, politicians have concluded.
As the Daily Mail reveals, £21.4million went on reinforced beds (10,715 of them), £7.4million on ambulances capable of transporting obese patients, £2.2 million on reinforced trolleys, £11 million on operating tables for obese patients, £700,000 on reinforced chairs, while most hospitals are generally spending a yearly £900,000 on rent for special tools for treating obese patients.
In light of this uncovering, Andrew Lansley, Tory health spokesman, warned that the figures clearly showed that obesity had “now emerged as one of the greatest public health threats.” At the same time, he also voiced his disapproval for the NHS spending all this money on reinforced and heavy-duty equipment, instead of investing it in efficient methods and campaigns to fight obesity.
Also in the UK and still related to the issue of obesity, just recently, a new campaign was announced, meant to warn parents that indulging their children’s whims and cravings for unhealthy foods could have disastrous consequences. The campaign will include TV spots and magazine spreads, and will be launched in January.