Your say: Should Australian taxpayer money be spent on obesity surgery?

Many of us make health conscious lifestyle decisions. We exercise, eat healthily, don’t smoke, don’t drink (too much) and do our best to make wise health decisions. It isn’t always easy but hey – it’s the only option unless we want to gain weight to the point of obesity.

But how would you feel if the money you work hard to earn, was funding surgery for the obese Australians who don’t make healthy lifestyle choices and who don’t do their best to live a healthy life?

A new study out of Prince Alfred Hospital is publicly supporting publicly funded obesity surgery, and we want to know, how do you feel about it?

The study lead by Associate Professor Tania Markovic from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney analysed data from obese patients who underwent publicly funded bariatric surgery between October 2009 and September 2013.

They found that there was significant postoperative weight loss, type 2 diabetes improvement and a reduction in sleep apnoea and hypertension. We know that the surgery was successful, but why do we need to pay for others to undergo it?

Well, Professor Markovic has said that, “In Australia, an inverse relationship exists between high obesity prevalence and low socioeconomic status; incidence is almost double for areas indexed as the most disadvantaged.”

Basically, the surgery has become least accessible to those who those who need it most and health experts including doctors and researchers are pushing for it to become a publicly funded type of surgery.

But, while some obesity cases are heavily genetic, others are caused by poor lifestyle choices and living with care or respect for health, so should this type of surgery be available to people who have caused it themselves?

It is such a topical issue and highly relevant to every taxpayer in Australia so today, have your say and tell us what you think. Should obesity surgery be publicly funded? Or should people that make poor choices be forced to deal with them without our support? Share your thoughts in the comments below…