Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
DOCTORS ARE WARNING against any ‘stigmatisation’ of patients with obesity as non-Covid-19 treatments start again.
The Irish Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism has said that patients with obesity – who are at a higher risk of complications from the virus – require equal access to the health system as new appointments become available.
“Similar to most elective surgery, metabolic procedures have been postponed during the pandemic. However, due to the progressive nature of diabetes, delaying surgery can increase future health complications and even earlier death,” warned Dr Conor Woods, a consultant endocrinologist at Tallaght University Hospital.
“The traditional ‘weight-centric’ criteria for patient prioritisation needs to change. For the period ahead, a new triaging approach for obesity and diabetes surgeries and treatments has been agreed internationally,” Woods said.
The Irish Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism is concerned that people with obesity have faced additional stigmatisation following speculation that they could be asymptomatic carriers of coronavirus.
The society has recommended that patients be prioritised into three categories. The first would be surgery within 30 days for those with complications from previous metabolic surgery, while the second would be surgery within 90 days for those with “substantial risk” of diabetes complications or who have poor control of diabetes.
The final category would be standard access for patients who are “unlikely to deteriorate within six months”. However, the society says that these patients still need to be “optimised using intensive medical treatment”.
As of Saturday night, 72 people with Covid-19 were in intensive care units in Irish hospitals – a figure that is 55% less than the recent peak of 160.
Overall, 543 people with Covid-19 were in Irish hospitals on Saturday night, plus a further 196 suspected cases.
There have been some concerns that GPs could face a “tsunami” of non-Covid-19 illnesses in the weeks and months to come as the number of people being treated for the virus drops.
A spokesperson for the Irish Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Professor Carel le Roux, said that “Ireland’s public health system has the lowest funding per capita for obesity treatment in Europe”.
Overcoming obesity stigma, he warned, would be crucial in the weeks to come.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Backing politicians into a corner of having to tell the truth, you bet they were unhappy.
Actually this forced a hand, and it just might have been the wrong move.
Good for Germany, not so good for Ireland.
Compare Syrizas negotiation tactics with our reactionary panic at that time.
Forced whose hand?
Central banker refused to play politics, fair play.
The Central Bank had a press release issued before the bailout was agreed on !
it makes it look like they had Fianna fail politicians over a barrel – and the Annsbacher document sits on Richard Bruton’s desk !
Before it was signed you say? My god, why oh why would the CB do such a thing? If only there was an article outlining the president of that CB’s reasons for making the announcement early that we could reference for justification, it might have had something to do with trying to stop a run on the banks for all we know. Alas, we remain in the dark until such an article can be located.
The evidence was given by a Civil servant in the Inquiry yesterday Egg ..
a lot of smoke often leads to a lot of daggers !
@ Hermes:
The evidence (see link below) said that they DRAFTED a press release just before the bank guarantee was agreed in 2008.
There was no mention of a press release concerning the bailout, which happened two years later in 2010.
He’s actually playing politics now. Political rule #1 Cover your ass at the expense of others.
Something strikes me about Honohan, self preservation syndrome to the fore. hunts with the hounds, runs with the fox.
He is just another arrogant professor who thinks more of his fame and notoriety than having any real ability other than appearing in public with his lines prepared is the way I see him !
Honohan has been the first truly independent Central Bank Governor. His predecessors all came from the Department of Finance and so were never truly independent.
I hope his successor is just as independent and doesn’t come from the Civil Service.
@ Hermes: You never have a good word to say about anyone. Patrick Honohan has done the state some service, more than you have I’d hasten to add.
Brian lenihan was bluffing on behalf of the Irish tax payer by insisting we wouldn’t accept a bailout unless we got a good deal. But then been the banker that he is Honohan sold the country down the river by revealing on radio that we would be accepting a bailout. Patrick Honohan probably cost us a couple of billion in reality but the media think he’s a great lad cause he’s a “strait talker” don’t you know. Idiots
The bailout was already done.
Lenihan spent 18 months at the start of the crisis doing nothing but going out.
Cowen went in to a black place and hid there.
Lenihan went around telling the global media that Ireland could not have a bank run because we were an Island.
I don’t think the man was mentally up to the job or aware of the problems. He seemed to be very aware though when it came to creating legislation that allowed bankrupt developers clean out their bank accounts in Anglo, against the advice of his Dept.
He was very aware when he paid all junior bondholders and never informed the cabinet.
Maybe Lenihan was such a good bluffer that he convinced everyone who worked with him or dealt with Ireland when he was Finance Minister that he hadn’t a clue what he was doing.
Saw a real expert on the tv the other night talking about this. He said none of the politicians on the PAC are experts on economics, finance or banking. Therefore they’re not asking the right questions and not doing a good job of extraction valuable information from the guys they’re questioning. I know they’ll say they’re saving millions by not having a tribunal, but this is the other extreme, and if its not done properly, they’ll have just wasted, i dunno how many months sitting in that room asking tom, dick and harry pointless questions, when they could have been doing something more productive for the country. It’ll probably conclude just before the next election and it’ll be all FFs fault.
STFU with this bull , when is someone going to do jail time is all I want to know .
You should go to the Guards with your evidence of laws having been broken.
He might like to explain how there was a “Press release” from the Central Bank issued confirming the Bailout – before the bailout had been agreed by Our elected Government !
The Central bank is badly exposed in a criminal sense on this one !
Lenihan and the Govt. thought that if they kept the electorate in the dark that they could get away with anything.
I think it’s amazing that so many commentators on here know more that professors or others experts in their own fields.
I’d go so far as to say you don’t know enough to know that you know nothing.
Kevin Cardiff did very well out of it, he shafted a guy to get the job.
Honohan was only doing what HE was told. His role is subordinated the that of the chairman of the ECB so he was doing what was prudent in the circumstances of the time not to spook the poor citizens, play along knowing full well the bailout etc would all follow.
He like most was wondering were Cowan and Lenihan really across this?
Did they fully understand it all?
Why else was he up all night ruminating on what to announce to the nation if he didn’t feel the boys being paid to to the job were nit actually up for it ?
He may come out of it looking like a smug banker/professor type but that’s because he knew what was going down as did another Professor Morgan!
You had an army of enthusiastic amateurs lining up to gain say them but if course they were never truly impartial
Did Ahern not mention “suicide” at one stage and he was the guy at the top !
The whole thing is so tragic and would be laughable if not so serious but Honohan and his reputation will be secure unlike Cowen Lenihan et al
No doubt Mary o rourke will be on the airwaves tomorrow trying to protect Brian lenihans legacy
Would there be a bank run, if Greece exits? Only asking, because I don’t know.
have your say