| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 5:22:07 AM | Paul Mason the fattest man in the world from Ipswich
at 70 stone is about to undergo life saving surgery.
A compulsive eating disorder has left him super obese
and with an annual care bill estimated to be over £100,000.
So I ask does this gentleman deserve any NHS treatment?
Hasn't he brought all these problems upon himself?
Wouldn't the £20 k cost of the operation be better spent elsewhere?
Is there such a thing as a compulsive eating disorder or is it just a lack of will power?
I'm sure we would all love to eat what we wanted but no our limits.
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 5:23:31 AM | | i don't think he should, no. Smokers have to quit to get help from the nhs...so obese people should stop eating to get help from the nhs ^^ | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 5:28:51 AM | | if he has worked in the past and paid into the system..then yes..people from overseas come here and get free treament when they have paid feck all...so if this man has paid his dues in the past then i cant see any problem... | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 5:28:54 AM | | Yes there is such a thing as an eating disorder be it anorexia or compulsive cramming. Are you suggesting that the NHS doesn't treat anorexics and should leave them to starve themselves to death? If not then what's the difference? | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 5:29:08 AM | He wasn’t always this size, I think someone should have intervened quite a while back.
I don’t think he deserves the treatment but he is entitled to it as thats the service we are all entitled to from the NHS. What I haven’t seen it the chances of his survival from this operation and if it is successful, how much will the other operations cost for removal of loose skin…etc, etc! Thats a lot of money for one person. | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 5:30:19 AM | Personally i think they should have offered him help way before he got to 70 stones. At that weight i dont think he would be able to walk so who is feeding him??
I totally agree with the above poster. | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 5:31:26 AM | Well if the OP works his care bill will be reduced. I hope he is getting counselling as well because people don't get addicted to food to that level without there being some underlying emotional issues.
Smokers actually don't need to quit to get help from the NHS, there are smoking cessation classes to help people to try and quit, there are also helplines people can phone.
If it were just as simple as people stopping eating, he wouldn't be fat would he? | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 5:36:55 AM | If it is costing over a £100,000 per year for care ,surely £20 is a drop in the ocean and will save the Nhs £80,000 a year if the treatment is sucessful ,
plus his food bill surely must be enormous ,
I am not getting into the fat debate as do not know enough about it ,i just think as a smoker who enjoys smoking and does not want to give up ,it must be terribley hard for anyone who loves food to cut down | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 5:39:24 AM |
Hasn't he brought all these problems upon himself?
No because as you said he has an eating disorder, yes people arn't always just fat and greedy.
Wouldn't the £20 k cost of the operation be better spent elsewhere?
No because taxpayers are funding 100k of his annual care package, 20k solves the problem and cuts the expence.
is there such a thing as a compulsive eating disorder or is it just a lack of will power?
Yes because us Humans are weak and emotions, feelings all contribute to our habits wether it be eating, depression, anorxia.
I'm sure we would all love to eat what we wanted but no our limits.
I am overweight in a dress size 14/16 and I could lose weight if I wanted to be I am quite happy deep down. I can eat and eat and eat all the goodys I want and never go above my weight I am now. Some people dont know those limits and never feel full so who are we to judge them that they have no will power, are lazy etc. Everybody is different with different genes, speeds of metabolisms etc. | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 5:43:29 AM |
surely £20 is a drop in the ocean and will save the Nhs £80,000 a year if the treatment is sucessful
The operation will cost £20k, but how much for the after care, how long til he gets to a weight where he can actually get up and move around by himself? All of this will continue to cost for as long as it takes. If he continues as he is I reckon he’d be dead pretty soon anyway. If after treatment he lives for another 10 years and the costs of looking after him begin to decline, I can’t see how the sums can add up either way! | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 5:51:50 AM | ^^^ This is my job and what I do. Outpatient after care lasts 6 weeks, 4 visits a day. If he requires further care after that the social worker will access the situation and he may have to fund the costs himself.
But this wouldn't be a long term solution whereas 100k a year is long term til death. | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 5:54:42 AM |
So I ask does this gentleman deserve any NHS treatment?
Yes i believe he does.Whether he has paid into the system or not i still believe he deserves the treatment.I'd rather him than someone from abroad and no PC brigade i'm not racist btw.
Hasn't he brought all these problems upon himself?
Maybe,maybe not.At that weight surely someone else must have been giving him food.
Wouldn't the £20 k cost of the operation be better spent elsewhere?
No,just because he is overweight doesnt make him a lesser mortal
Is there such a thing as a compulsive eating disorder or is it just a lack of will power?
Prader Willi Syndrome is a recognised condition.Nothing to do with willpower.
It will cost loads more than 20k though when the cost of excess skin surgery is taken into account.Still i wish him luck! | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 6:25:53 AM | | As far as I know his mum died a few weeks ago, it was said that he's eating 3 family sized takeaways a night. He did lose 20 stones 3 years ago but has put the weight back on. | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 6:33:24 AM | He should have had treatment a long time ago, the reason he got to be this size is due to mental health issues. The UK has a disappointing way of dealing with mental health issues based around things like this. Not to mention the lack of support and assisstance that his friends and family should have shown.
Anarexia (sp?) has become an accepted mental disorder and generates sympathy from the masses, but compulsive eating disorders like the one the described above are usually met with the response of "stop eating, fatty".
The men should have gotten mental help and health support, especially as he showed promise with the loss of 20stones. If he had recieved better support he may well have continued his loss and become healthier. Some may argue that it is the fault of the person for not trying hard enough, which can be partially true, but until we have a system where these things can be handled then the odd surgery of this kind is going to happen. | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 6:40:10 AM | according to new figures, the cost to the NHS for alcohol related treatments is £3Billion/ year.
I'm sure there are similar figures for obesity.
Most of what we do, and what happens as a result of our choices, could be described as self-inflicted.
Skiing accidents, Sports injuries, Mountain Climbing (Frostbite) Motor racing, etc etc.
All injuries incurred could be argued to be "preventable" by not choosing to do something.
If we're gonna question this fat blokes rights,
should we also question all the other "self-inflicted" medical requirements? | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 6:41:44 AM | | He lost 20 stone in hospital 3 years ago, but it is claimed he moaned that he lost the chance to become the fattest man in the world, if that is true although I do doubt it, he deserves nothing. | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 6:53:17 AM | | Anyone that gets to this sort of weight every has a serious physical problem, or a serious mental problem. Both of which affect their quality of life. A physician's code is always to treat someone to improve their quality of life. Maybe its about time that this country supported all those people with an addiction or physical problem. | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 6:54:06 AM | If that is the case then he should get nothing!
If someone turns down help and assistance then continue to do something so irresponsible to themselves then they don't deserve it again when things go wrong. | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 7:01:32 AM | I agree with jo van.
This subject keeps coming up (not on the forums, I mean in the media etc) - people 'not deserving' treatment because they have caused the problem themselves.
If you take that argument to its logical conclusion, then before any casualties of a car accident could be treated the medical staff would have to determine whose fault the accident was. "Oh, you were talking on your phone while driving, were you? Then you'll just have to bleed to death." | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 7:03:52 AM | | there is a difference between talking on the phone whilst driving and being a glutton. Both forms of stupidity, but a glutton has the choice to stop it.. so that argument is redundant in this case. | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 7:10:48 AM | "Deserve" is surely the wrong word to use?
The National Health Service should care for sick people and make them well - to moralise or pass judgement on someone because they eat too much would be totally wrong, and unethical in my opinion.
You can argue the 'rights' and 'wrongs' of how he got that fat in the first place all you want but if lifesaving surgery gives him a chance of a prolonged or normal life, then that is what he is entitled to receive. | |
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| Does 70 stone man deserve NHS treatment?
Posted: 10/21/2009 7:13:11 AM | I read that his weight increased from 45 to 70 stone following the death of his mum, that he has two full time carers and that (if I recall correctly) his average daily consumption is 20,000 calories.
Obviously he needs help and treatment - though its going to be expensive. What I'd like to know though is:
If I had lung cancer would the state provide two carers full time and would they allow a huge supply of cigarettes into my home on a regular basis? Because this guy is so large he can't get out - probably needs his bum wiped for him - so who has allowed him to keep buying and eating massive amounts of food? And who pays for the food? And who has been 'managing' this guys healthcare? The NHS at times issues ultimatums and warnings. Who issued these in this case and what were the responses from the patient?
Put in context 2 full time HCAs in an old people's home can manage a lot of people who need care simply because they are old and frail. I am not saying this guy shouldn't be given the help he needs. And if the treatment works he'll need a lot of plastic surgery to deal with his excess skin and probably years of physiotherapy. Hopefully some of the money he is making from the media for being the world's fattest man can be put towards this and his future needs. But getting to 45 stone demonstrates something wrong - getting from there to 70 stones in a relatively short period may indicate that there are lessons to be learned for the healthcare professionals involved. | |
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