as much as £2 billion annually for obesity related expenses

It's not just individuals who end up paying a whole lot more because of their obesity in terms of lost productivity and health insurance costs but also individual National Health Service Trusts around the UK are having to fork out millions of pounds to purchase specially strengthened equipment for obese people.

For example recently the Yorkshire Ambulance Service spent almost £10 million on specially equipped ambulances that can not only transport obese people but also make use of special winches to lift them up into the vehicles. Yorkshire has the highest number of obese people per capita in the UK.  Some obese people are so heavy even four men holding a stretcher are unable to safely get them inside and there have been complaints that it is not only dangerous for the patients but also the ambulance workers.

It is not only ambulances which have been required but also stronger stretchers which cost over £8,000 each and even custom designed wide stretchers costing almost £14,000 each. Other equipment purchased at great cost includes reinforced lifting equipment, wheelchairs and beds. It is estimated that the NHS will end up spending as much as £2 billion annually for obesity related expenses.

The way we see it at Ukmedix News is that if Health Trusts were to instead spend the money on public health campaigns, legislation and very tough programs to get people to lose weight they would be making huge savings in the long term. By purchasing special obesity ambulances it is almost as if they are admitting defeat and saying that obesity is here to stay with us.

For every £1 spent on obesity prevention the returns will be huge not just in financial terms but also in quality of life and productivity terms for the British people. Developed nations all over the world need to wake up to the chronic obesity problem and do something about it sooner rather than later.