UK News UK Smokers told to quit or surgery will be refused

[The Helper]

Smokers are to be denied operations on the Health Service unless they give up cigarettes for at least four weeks beforehand.

Doctors will police the rule by ordering patients to take a blood test to prove they have not been smoking.

The ruling, authorised by Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt, comes after medical research conclusively showed smokers take longer to recover from surgery.

It is thought that 500,000 smokers a year will be affected.

Smokers told to quit or surgery will be refused

Smokers are to be denied operations on the NHS unless they give up cigarettes for at least four weeks. Doctors will police the rule by ordering would-be patients to take a blood test to prove they have not been smoking

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[emjlr3]

woot woot, makes me happy that those retarded enough to smoke are made to suffer even more for their stupidity

 

[NoxMortus]

Been a long time coming..

 

[XXXconanXXX]

Hopefully other countries will follow - If it can work for the UK, it can work for the US. Damn smokers.

 

[sqrage]

That's dumb, smoking is personal choice.
And the U.S. can't follow, who the hell gets health care in the U.S.?

 

[XXXconanXXX]

That's dumb, smoking is personal choice.

If it's personal choice whether or not they can smoke, they shouldn't complain about not being able to smoke for four weeks.

If your that addicted to where you can't put down a cigarette for 4 weeks to actually help your body for once in your life, then you're retarded.

I have no sympathy for smokers whatsoever, mainly because family members smoking has effected my life more than I wish it to.

 

[johnnyfire]

I smoke every day and honestly 4 weeks is a little much, I think two weeks would be more fair...

Hey, don't go badmouthing smokers just because you don't smoke. It is a personal choice and you should respect that.

What about drinkers, drug takers, people who eat too much and people who never exercise? - taken from article

Smoking is less dangerous than many other things anyway it just gets your lungs... alcohol (kills braincells and liver), obesity (heart, veins, bones, intestinal tract, etc), drugs (omg could be anything).
You are more likely to die in a car accident than from smoking.

Smokers pay over £10 billion in tax and cost the NHS almost £2 billion.
They've paid for the hospitals, equipment, treatment and the health workers wages - so hush up and do what you're paid to do, you haven't a clue what addiction feels like. - taken from article comments

It seems we've paid our dues... besides it will never pass in the US considering that we pay for our own health insurance.

 

[DuckieKing]

That's dumb, smoking is personal choice.

It is a personal choice and you should respect that.

Then why do I have to smell it? I'm hypersensitive to smells -- I literally can't breathe when someone is smoking nearby. I can't stand paint or ammonia, either. ;p

About the original article, maybe they should just increase public (teen) awareness about every way smoking's bad for you.

 

[Marduke]

Then why do I have to smell it? I'm hypersensitive to smells -- I literally can't breathe when someone is smoking nearby. I can't stand paint or ammonia, either. ;p

Lol. I'm the same way though, I can't stand the smell of smoke.

I make my wife smoke outside.

Ohio recently passed a law that you can't smoke indoors at any workplace, thank god because at my old job I couldn't stand breaks at all.

Edit:
LOL if you think smoking just affects your lungs.

 

[emjlr3]

car accidents may kill more people then smoking, however, second hand smoke alone kills more people then alcohol does

if its a personal choice, keep it to yourself, and dont smoke anywhere near me, aka, in your house, no where else, period, I should not have to suffer for your ignorance

etc.,etc.,etc., I could go on forever

 

[Marduke]

if its a personal choice, keep it to yourself, and dont smoke anywhere near me, aka, in your house, no where else, period, I should not have to suffer for your ignorance

QFT.

 

[Akatsuki]

I really hate smoking. Drinking, obsity, and taking drugs hurts the person taking it. But smoking hurts people who didn't even make the choice of taking them. If you want to do things that hurts your body knowing the risks. Go ahead. Just make sure that it doesn't hurt people around you who doesn't make the choice. Second-hand smoking is very harmful to little kids.

 

[phyrex1an]

That's dumb, smoking is personal choice.

Smoking is a personal choice? Sure, killing people is also a personal choice. Face the consequences of your* actions instead of whining.

*Not necessarily your actions, dunno if you smoke

 

[AceHart]

Regardless of personal choice, taste or opinion, this "decision" is, simply, discrimination.

 

[phyrex1an]

Regardless of personal choice, taste or opinion, this "decision" is, simply, discrimination.

But in difference to believes actions isn't and should not be protected by law. Smoking is an action and not a way of thinking, I see nothing wrong in threating smokers different if you threat murders (or other nouns that are caused by action) different. Unless, of course, smoking should be considered a disease then they should receive health care and not punishment.

 

[1JadedJen]

The big thing with smoking and surgery tho, is that smoking greatly increases the risks of anesthesia. Before any surgery where anesthesia is to be used, patients are advised to stop smoking 4 weeks or more before the surgery. People who continue to smoke put themselves at risk for serious post surgery breathing complications. Surgeries have also been cut short because a patient stops breathing on the operating table and they have to take them off the anesthesia to get them breathing again. Which is not only bad for the patient yes, but money wise it's a waste of time and resources. Now they have to reschedule the surgery and repay the docs for the procedure, yadda yadda ya..

So I don't think they were focused on quit smoking now for forever or you won't get any health benefits, but that if it is found that patients have smoked in the 4 weeks before their scheduled surgery, their surgery will be cancelled.

 

[AceHart]

You? In our hospital? Forget it, you're too expensive for the system. There's a statistical chance you might have to stay an extra day.

That's not health care, that's business talk.
Chain production.
You just created a two classes system, where both sides pay just the same, but one is allowed in and the other not.

Congratulations.
Welcome to a better world.

 

[phyrex1an]

You? In our hospital? Forget it, you're too expensive for the system. There's a statistical chance you might have to stay an extra day.

Exactly the same reason why I'm not allowed to drive without a seatbelt here even thought I pay the same car tax as everyone else. The world is full of things that creates class system(s), and quite frankly I can't imagine how a world without those things would function.

 

[AceHart]

Though we're talking about health care here, not "Yes, you may go to the party, but you'll be back home at 10pm".
That's very far from "exactly the same".

 

[emjlr3]

riddle me this (for lack of a better analogy atm)

a person is a drinker, would you allow someone who is suffering from liver failure due to this, drink, which ultimately just makes things worse?

why is that not discrimination, why can you not drink as a hospital patient, but can smoke as one, even though both hold risks, and niether is called for?

That's not health care, that's business talk

.

a hospital is a business, and insurance companies(notice the word company, not good samaritins) are out to make money, not lose it, obviously, since there is no clause in current contracts that I am aware of that states such objections, such as being refused health care due to being retarded (aka smoking), this cannot be done, however, I do not think it is unreasonable, unconstitutional, or immoral to create such a small print detial in such contracts

You just created a two classes system, where both sides pay just the same, but one is allowed in and the other not.

they don't, smokers pay more, and as such, it should be iincluded in their costs to account for such complications during medical treatment, it should not be up to the hospital to decide if and when they get treated

Regardless of personal choice, taste or opinion, this "decision" is, simply, discrimination.

we are not talking about something these people were born with, as skin color, or heritage
nor are we talking about religous beliefs, where, although a conscious decision, holds no bearing in this current debate
we are talking about a conscious act by the patient which deliberatly inflicts harm where healing is trying to be accomplished, I consider is blasphemous for a patient to directly put them selves in harms way to simply fulfill their selfish desire


although my views seem to be conflicting, they are not, I think ( ), I simply agree to disagree with almost everything Ace said