Institute For The Future

Another twist on healthism

A hospital in Australia has banned patients who are obese or who smoke from receiving certain surgeries. The Daily Telegraph reports that Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in Adelaide is demanding that patients achieve a "healthy weight range" and quit smoking before being considered for liposuction and body recontouring treatment.

 

Traditionally, requirements for surgery are at the discretion of the individual physician. This marks one of the first times a standard has been set for all patients to meet. Melbourne's Alfred Hospital previously has refused to perform lung surgery on smokers; the Australian Medical Association (AMA) is unaware of any other hospitals with similar criteria.

 

QEH surgery director Guy Maddern is quoted as saying, "'It's not being done as a punishment; it's being done to try to help them.'" Dr. Peter Ford, president of the AMA, said, "'It's not discrimination from a moral point of view. It's discrimination for the patient, really, for their own benefit.'"

 

I don't know whether any American hospitals have issued similar criteria banning obese people or smokers from receiving treatment. Do you? Would it be ethical?