I had a hospital appointment this morning.
Nothing serious, although it did involve a camera! I discovered however that I have put on exactly one stone in weight since I went on a diet 18 months ago. Unfortunately, a few months after I began I found out how much nicer coffee is with double cream. Plus, there are only so many salads a man can eat without becoming a vegetable, if you know what I mean.
Anyway, what struck me (and not for the first time) is how non-judgemental most doctors and nurses are about 'bad' habits. I have been overweight for a decade (some might say two) and I can't remember a single doctor ever mentioning it to me.
Today was no different. They took my weight but didn't bat an eyelid, even when I asked them to convert kilos into something I could understand. When they asked me what I do for a living I told them. Again, not a murmur.
Of course, when you visit your GP these days they will most likely have to tick a few boxes – do you smoke, how much do you drink etc – but that's as far as it goes. In my experience they have never commented on my 'lifestyle' so who, exactly, does an organisation like the British Medical Association represent? Not ordinary doctors, that's for sure.
As for those doctors who support "lifestyle rationing", I'd like to know a bit more about them and where they work. Not in my local surgery or hospital.
PS. Rob Lyon has this to say on Spiked: The rationing of medical treatment is really sick.