THE NHS does not do enough slimming surgeries and could bring down obesity with more gastric band and sleeve ops, say doctors.
MPs on the Commons Health Committee heard that only about half of adults in England live in areas with decent NHS weight loss services.
Experts say the NHS should offer more weight loss surgeries (stock)Credit: Alamy
Many are not offered surgery or like Mounjaro despite being eligible.
Two thirds of adults in the UK are fat, including three in 10 who are .
They are at higher risk of serious health conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and dementia.
Dr Claudia Coelho, an NHS doctor and expert at the Association for the Study of Obesity, said: “Specialist are very patchy around the country.
“Only about 50 per cent of England has access, and then we have an issue with capacity.
“There are about 50,000 patients on waiting lists for Tier 3 [specialists].
“Services are challenging to access and patients may have to wait a significant amount of time.
“There is a clear under-provision of .
“The UK does around 7,000 yearly but France, with a similar population and less obesity, does 35,000.”
Bariatric surgeries include gastric sleeve, balloon and bypass operations that make the stomach organ smaller so people cannot eat as much, helping them to lose weight.
Patients typically need to be very obese, with a body mass index (BMI) higher than 40 and have tried but failed to in other ways.
Experts on the panel also said government agencies must do more to crack down on illegal sales of weight loss jabs as they put the public at risk.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said on Wednesday it had busted people at a farm and house in Lincolnshire on suspicion of selling fake jabs.
Nearly 2,000 doses of injections claiming to be the drugs tirzepatide (Mounjaro) or retatrutide were seized .
Health minister Dr Zubir Ahmed said: “This week’s raids have taken dangerous, unregulated products off our streets.
“We will not allow criminals to profit by exploiting people looking for help with their weight.”
MORE PATIENTS TO GET NHS FAT JABS
DOCTORS will be paid to put more patients on fat jabs under NHS plans to beat obesity.
More patients are set to get weight loss injections like Wegovy and Mounjaro from their GP in the scheme.
In their new work contracts, family doctors will be offered around £4,000 per year in cash incentives to refer more patients for specialist weight loss support.
That includes free slimming classes and injections on prescription for those who need them.
An NHS could cut a Mounjaro or Wegovy patient’s monthly bill from hundreds of pounds privately to just £9.90.
Under current NHS criteria, to be eligible for weight loss jabs patients should have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher and four or more weight-related health conditions.
These are not expected to change right away under the new system.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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