Nearly a tenth of NHS hospitals have already adopted a controversial policy which excludes smokers and obese patients from certain treatments, a Sky News survey has revealed.
Millions of patients could be prevented from undergoing operations such as
hip replacement and
knee surgery, with health secretary Patricia Hewitt insisting that hospitals are "entitled" to set their own guidelines.
Ms Hewitt said: "Primary care trusts are absolutely entitled to get together with their doctors and say, 'these are the guidelines we are putting in place for this particular kind of treatment'."
However, her comments have met with dismay among patient groups and obesity experts.
National Obesity Forum chairman Dr Colin Waine told the Daily Mail that the move was "very distressing".
"Until you get to people who are very seriously obese there is very little evidence that outcomes of surgery are any worse. This is simply being used as an excuse for rationing," he commented.
The Sky News survey found that nine out of 116 primary care trusts - nearly all of which are heavily in debt - refuse joint replacement operations to obese patients.
Obesity news : 01/05/2007
