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Obese patients to be flown to London for gastric ops
Sophie Goodchild, Health Editor02.01.09
OBESE patients in Belfast will be flown hundreds of miles for fat-loss operations at Imperial College trust, the Evening Standard can reveal.
The trust confirmed today that it had won its bid to provide the stomach-shrinking surgery.
It is part of a radical plan to beat the obesity epidemic and coincides with the Government's launch today of the £8.7million Change4Life campaign designed to tackle unhealthy lifestyles.
Chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson has warned that obesity is a "national crisis" and said that the aim is to cut obesity levels back to those seen in 2000.
He added: "People need to understand that fat is not their friend. But it's one of the few medical problems that can be turned around very rapidly. It needs to be a big campaign because this is a national crisis."
Under the new arrangements, a team from Imperial's weight centre at Charing Cross Hospital will fly to Belfast and assess patients who will then travel 324 miles to London for surgery.
These include dieticians, surgeons, specialist nurses as well as psychiatrists who will check that morbidly obese patients are mentally prepared to cope with a dramatic loss in body size.
Consultant bariatric surgeon Mr Ahmed Ahmed told the Standard: "Bariatric surgery [surgery to treat obesity] such as a gastric bypass can lead to dramatic improvements in obesity-related illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure while also resulting in up to 30 per cent weight loss."
The contract which Imperial won was put out to tender by Northern Ireland because of a lack of expertise in the country. Surgeons will provide weight loss operations to patients at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital after approval from health bosses.
The Change4Life campaign is being publicised by M&C Saatchi and is backed by charities such as Diabetes UK and the British Heart Foundation.
Wallace and Gromit creators Aardman Animations have devised a television advertisement and an advice line has been set up offering information on improving diet and exercise levels.
A website will emphasise simple messages such as eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day and where to find cookery clubs and sports facilities locally.
The department of health said the campaign should "kickstart a lifestyle revolution for every family" by promoting healthy eating and exercise.
Firms including Cadbury, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Kellogg's, Kraft, Mars, Nestlé and PepsiCo are all taking part, as are major supermarkets Asda, Tesco and the Co-operative Group.
As part of the campaign, Unilever will use its sponsorship of the London Marathon to brand the route Change4Life, and runners and visitors will be given Change4Life handouts.
ITV will also run two Saturday night shows this month and March called Feelgood Factor to help families live more healthily.
Reader views (11)
Ok so i guess the NHS should no longer help, drug addicts, alcoholics, people with Bulimia or Anorexia, Smokers, Self harmers... The list is endless...All self inflicted diseases AND ADDICTIONS!
Someone up there said it's simple "stop eating so much and do some exercise".. Fair enough.
Would you say to an anorexic, "It's simple , just eat some food and then you'll put on weight and won't have all these self image issues"... Of course not, because it's NOT that simple!
This seems to be what everyone fails to recognise, food ADDICTION isn't something people CHOOSE to have!!
- Michelle, England
Sticky tape over their mouths would be cheaper.
- J. Green, Bromley, England
--The Change4Life campaign is being publicised by M&C Saatchi
who wants to bet the NHS is wasting a million dollars in advertising?
- Kim, NYC
Stop wasting taxpayers money. The NHS wasn't set up to bail out greedy, lazy, self indulgent people, it was set up to help people with illnesses caused by dreadful living and work conditions that people once endured and diseases that thankfully have almost been wiped out because of advances in medicine and vaccinations. Every week there are stories in local newspapers where people are having to hold charity events to pay for treatments for children who through no fault of their own are very sick and here in Great Britain we are throwing money at people who could cure their own problem simply by eating less and moving about more.
- Karen, England
People undergoing this operation should give a thought as to what to do afterwards with all that loose, hanging skin - plastic surgery is next, painful and prolonged
- Anne Woolf, Dunedin, Florida, USA
Of course, if the patients walked to London for their op, it might not be necessary by the time they arrived.
- Mdj, Leyton, e10 london
I know this might be a bit obvious but what about eating less and exercising more? I myself have managed to pile the pounds on over Christmas but instead of hoping for some magic pill I'm going to eat less and exercise more. I don't want to. If left to my own devices I'd rather slob out, eat trash and watch TV. But I have self pride and something called willpower. Perhaps these people should try that instead of costing us taxpayers a fortune.
And to all those who will no doubt moan about the medical problems which make them fat, there are 2 grossly obese people at work. Whenever there are free cakes or doughnuts guess who is first in the queue?
- Susan, London, England
this is soooo unnecessary - the information is out there - people are fat (me included) because we chose to ignore all the information - relying on the fact that if we become super fatties - someone somewhere is to blame (its not me who stuffs rubbish into my own mouth!) and that someone else will bale me out.
Sorry no - NO GASTRIC BANDS ON THE NHS PLEASE - if you are fat - get up and move more and eat less - and if the problem is psychological then yes would rather spend the money on the shrink.
How can people not know what they are doing to themselves - they do - they just chose not to take responsibility!
- Jc, se1
Another waste of tax payers money! When are people going to get into their tiny brains. If these people stop eating rubbish and exercise then they wouldn't be obese. I'm not exactly a stick inscect myself, but I know when to cut back and do something about it. People are responsible for themselves and what they put into their bodies. Failing that, then get a tapeworm!
- Triffidqueen, London
Walk, walk, walk and swing those arms while you are doing it. Everyday, minimum of 30 mins. (Preferably off the road where all you inhale car fumes) That's the way to lose weight, I know, I did it. So cheap too.
- Helen, norwich
What a waste of money. Fat people have no self control. If they want to lose weight then the answer is simple - stop eating so much and do some exercise.
- Casper Slides, France
