The availability of weight loss drugs on the NHS doesn’t mean people can give up healthy lifestyles, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has warned.
Experts believe drugs like Ozempic will play an important role in tackling the UK’s obesity crisis.
But Mr Sweeting told the Daily Telegraph it was in “everyone’s interest to play their part” and avoid overloading the health system.
“We don’t want to encourage a dependency culture where people think it’s OK not to bother eating healthily or exercising, because the NHS will pick up the tab and pay for their weight loss jab,” he said.
“People in this country have the right to expect top quality healthcare, but also a responsibility to look after their own health, so we’ve got to get the balance right.”
It seems like pandering to the Tory press. Getting more people to a healthy weight saves a lot of cash in the long run and frees up resources for other people.
However, I don’t like the idea of Big Pharma gouging us on the price and, we do need to take more responsibility for our health. When I was in hospital in 2017 they didn’t really know where to put me so I went in the leg wards. Everyone else had badly managed diabetes and smoked, so they all had nasty leg wounds that landed them in hospital and it was only going to get worse. Too many were still sneaking out for a smoke, including No Legs Mick who was being slowly whittled down to a nub. With a bit more care for themselves that entire floor of the hospital could have been largely cleared.
To be fair, at that point it’s a little late to quit smoking, and an addiction isn’t something you quit overnight.