Smokers to be denied surgery?

[AB Asks]

Smokers are to be denied operations on the NHS unless they quit smoking at least four weeks beforehand. The logic behind this is that smokers apparently take longer to recover from operations. Obviously this doesn't include life-saving surgery, but routine surgery like hip replacements. Their surgery would be delayed at the very least. Do you think this is right? Should people be discriminated against because they smoke?

[johnlambert]

Yes

[IggyB]

well its not exactly discrimination its simply using the limited money of the nhs sensibly - if people do not heal properly after surgery when smoking then why waste the money, the time and risk the patient by doing the surgery when they are smoking, if a smoker is taking up a space on the ward when recovering slowly then others will be delayed for them.

once they have healed up they can take up the habit again...

[Gromit]

I do wish the AB Ed would stop making up stories. If she is that desperate, she could actually pick up a newspaper and ask a real question.

[Le Chat]

Well. I was watching morning tele the other day and a lady on there was refused a knee replacement because she was 7 lbs overweight!! She wasn't even told until the day of the operation ... or she would have lost the weight in the 18 months that she had waited for the operation. She is now back to the beginning of the waiting list. The hospital in question has stated that they are refusing such operations for smokers and people who are not at the ideal BMI, even if they are only 1 or 2 lbs over it. I suggest that the BMI should be looked at again for this purpose, as it doesn't take into account muscle over fat and the distribution of fat on a person. ie, I am a size 10, yet have a BMI of 27....2 points over the ideal. I am 5ft 5 inches!! So I would be refused treatment!!! Ridiculous!!

[kwicky]

I'm not sure how you could prove they gave up smoking 4 weeks ago. I am firmly in favour of no smoking in hospitals which would apply to patients and visitors. Surely this is being carried out already?

[gina32]

gromit why say ask a real question, it is a real question and was on the news and in the papers so what are you talking about and in answer to the ab question, yes they should!

[rojash]

As the NHS is ENTIRELY funded by the tax on smoking, I think people should be denied operations until they can prove that they have smoked for at least 4 years.

[Gromit]

Questions should always be accompanied by a link. This serves to inform people who may not have heard the story, and enables people to check the question for accuracy. Failure to include a link, specially to a news item which is very low on the the news agenda, gives rise to the suspicion that the item is not real. You would think the AB Ed would know how to ask a question, but obviously not.

[gina32]

rojash where do you get your ideas from?

[Doc Spock]

rojash is quite right. Smokers by virtue of the millions of pounds they pay should get private immediate treatment as and when required.

[curlyperm]

i'm along the same lines as kwicky..........be very difficult if not impossibe to prove that they had given up smoking for the required 4 weeks? how on earth would they know? apart from nicotene in the system or putting spy cameras in their home ; )
And Gromit - as gina points out.... it IS a real Question and has been in the papers and on the news. I should know i read the Sun ; P

[gina32]

thanks curlyperm. so just what does my national insurance and tax pay if not health care? i for one would galdly pay for private health care if thats all there was rather than take my place in a queue behind a lifelong smoker who cant be bothered to quit. now i'll sit back and wait for teh backlash!

[curlyperm]

hehehehe gina i'm still following you x

[Loosehead]

No coment on the actual question, just a couple of figures for Rojash: Tax on Smoking=9bn, NHS budget last year 75bn. Hardly "entirely funded"

[gina32]

thanks loosehead, thats what i said, funny he hasnt been back on to answer

[helpmetoo]

i smoke and suggest an efficient course of action if have to give up smoking for 4 weeks prior would be to spend the money on cleaning materials and give them to the hospital prior to my op so there was a lesser chance of me being more ill when in hospital due to mrsa, c-diff etc than when i went in, thats what really keeps people in hospital for too long, recovering from the nhs's nasty gift

[Doc Spock]

no