Weighty issue

Reading the report, “No NHS for overweight patients, says survey” (27 February), I recall an earlier article, “GPs too embarrassed to tell fat patient: slim or risk cancer”. In my response to that earlier article I suggested  that when the body mass index (BMI) of a patient is outwith a range of 20 to 25 then they should be told by the doctor to both recognise and address their weight problem – with the consequences of not doing so being spelt out.

If this sounds harsh, it has to be remembered that if we wish to protect our property, we take out the appropriate insurance.

In the same way, when we  are working, it is our National Insurance contributions that fund the NHS.

It does seem appropriate using the requirements of house buildings insurance as an analogy – namely that if any problems that arise from poor maintenance are not covered, that similar rules should be applied by the NHS (our health insurance).

If we become obese, or seriously obese, and do not take the responsibility to address this problem then the responsibility is ours, not the NHS.

Alan McKinney

Beauchamp Road

Edinburgh

I couldn’t agree more with Margaret Watt’s analysis on the crisis in our A&E hospital departments (27 February).

Having fallen ill on a Monday holiday in May my mother waited six hours for a doctor, two hours for an ambulance, then was left for nearly two hours on a trolley in an A&E department while healthy-looking young people with sports injuries were attended to.

She died a few hours later from kidney failure caused by dehydration. If she had been attended to earlier she would probably still be with us. So much for the health service!

Sue Brotherstone

Colinton Grove West

Edinburgh