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It's only semi autobiographical
Friday, December 09, 2005
The News
"TREATMENT BAN ON FAT PATIENTS"
Now regular readers, if any still exist, will be aware of my obesity stance.
The front page story was essentially that if doctors have reason to suspect that a person's habits will hinder their recovery, or reduce the chance of a successful procedure, they may refuse treatment. I think this is an excellent idea, if we are to follow the ideal of the greatest good for the greatest number, the procedures will be cheaper and more efficient, so more people will benefit, and the patients who are treated will get a greater good from the procedure.
For example, two people need a hip replacement, both older than middle aged. One is active, enjoys their exercise and has damaged their hip in a fall. The other... Well lets say they have had a few too many cheese burgers. If the damage was caused by being over weight, and lets be honest, they are not going to be doing a lot of walking anyway, then it seems a bit of a waste. Like George Best's liver. The other person though, might be able to recover, and do the everyday things that they always used to be able to do. And probably a hell of a lot more walking too.
There are some counter arguments, and to address those set out in the newspaper...
"People are obese for a wide range of reasons, but those suffering arthritis may find that they have reduced mobility due to the pain which causes them to be obese. It would be very unfair to deny these people treatment." [sic]
Yes. It would. I have a simple solution though... Do not deny them treatment, it is not their fault. Their problem is medical in its cause, so they should be given treatment.
The other argument seems to be that decisions should be made for clinical reasons, or "clear evidence that the treatment will not be effective."
Well, that is what I am arguing too, if their personal habits reduce the effectiveness of the treatment, this treatment is better prioritised to those that will get more benefit from it.
I'm doing coursework now, so I'll wrap it up at that.
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