OVERWEIGHT patients in Worcestershire will not be forced to slim before being allowed routine operations, health officials have said.
A national newspaper revealed the government was planning to roll out such a policy across Britain by the end of the year. Nine primary care trusts already carry out the anti-fat rule, according to the paper.
If introduced nationwide, it would mean one in five adults would have to lose weight before being allowed on the operating table.
However, Worcestershire Primary Care Trust said it had no plans to introduce such a policy.
Spokesman Janet Ferguson said: "We do not operate a policy to make people lose weight and have no plans to do so."
According to the national newspaper doctors would ration treatment to patients according to their Body Mass Index - BMI - a formula based on height and weight. It claims people with a BMI over 30 you could be denied non-emergency operations such as knee and hip surgery or procedures like IVF treatment and will be ordered on an intensive six-month diet and exercise regime.
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