NHS Obesity Problems In Wales

The Welsh are getting fatter and NHS hospitals are having to change the way they do things to accomodate this. The danger with being obese is not just that it affects our health and makes us susceptible to many different illnesses and diseases but also that it make us more difficult to be treated properly by doctors and in hospitals.

The local health services in Wales are reacting to the crisis in a number of ways such as ordering special Ambulances that have special facilities to be able to take on the most obese patients and having plans in the event of having seriously heavy people who can't be lifted. In extreme cases the fire brigade will be utilised to get help to lift patients.

The problem of excess obesity in Wales has been underlined by serious problems in hospitals such as not having large enough chairs and stretchers for certain obese patients and extra strong ones have been commissioned so that they can take 35 stone in weight. Other procedures have been undertaken such as refusing operations until patients shed pounds. In one serious case a 22 stone man was not able to have an MRI scan when it was determined that the table was not strong enough and there were also problems with the fact that he could not into the machine anyway.

Hospitals are becoming aware that obesity can really impede the smooth dispensing of medical care and that if the obesity epidemic carries on rising in Wales more money will be needed for special equipment for these obese patients. In some cases simple procedures like taking blood can be extremely difficult in very obese people.

Around 20% of men and and women are obese in Wales and that more than 50% are overweight, the most worry statistic is however that over 15,000 people in Wales are reckoned to have a BMI reading of greater than 40 and child obesity is becoming a serious problem too.