Friday, September 14, 2007

Does This Sound Like Bullshit?

Doctors at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro (England) are apparently refusing to set John Nuttall's broken ankle unless he quits smoking.
"I want to warn other smokers. We have paid our National Insurance stamps all our lives and now we are being shut out of the NHS."

A spokesman for the hospital trust said: "Smoking has a very big influence on the outcome of this type of surgery and the healing process would be hindered significantly."

According to the article, Mr. Nuttall has been prescribed daily doses of morphine to cope with the "constant pain from the grating of the broken bones against each other."

Sooo... smoking can affect the outcome of an operation on one's ankle? It's cheaper to give a guy morphine every day than to fix his fucking ankle? I want to be clear about this: we're talking about someone's fucking ankle, right?

Sounds like bullshit to me...

11 comments:

  1. Why the fuck is everybody restricting smokers' rights, eh?
    I smoke, and I know it's already killing me, and I'm sick and tired of people telling me what to do. In this particular case, if the guy has already paid his insurance, they have no right at all to deny the service. And, for God's sake, the total incongruety of their attitude! Sure, it's bad to be addicted to nicotine, but ok to become addicted to morphine!?
    Well, that was my personal rage. Excellent controversial post.

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  2. Yes that is complete bullshit.

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  3. Usual Stuff and Verilion:
    I think smokers and non-smokers can see there's something wrong here (assuming the story is true).

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  4. Yep, bullshit in big, bright bold smoke ring letters!

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  5. Sounds like a story out of the Daily Mail if you ask me.

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  6. There is a strong anti-smoker agenda in parts of the NHS, but this is the most drastic manifestation I've seen. There's also talk of some doctors refusing to treat fat people / alcoholics for various complaints. So much for the hippocratic oath.

    Incidentally, I poached my first ever proper girlfriend (aged 14) from a bloke called John Nuttall. Probably not the same guy, as Mr Broken Ankle is 57.

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  7. AV,
    Hmm...bright, bold rings of bullshit smoke...

    Pisces,
    I'm not too familiar with the UK papers, although I have some sense of what the Daily Mail is like. The link goes to The Telegraph, but I'm really not certain if that makes the story more or less accurate...

    Shit,
    I have no trouble believing that there are "professionals" out there who would like nothing better than to impose their own "morality" on others.
    Do you still dream of that long-ago love?

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  8. Ahh, Samantha... a lovely girl and school sweetheart who eschewed the attentions of the school's rugby captain (the aforementioned Nuttall) for me. AND she was a year above me.

    That was my one moment of glory in amore - but I then went and got a crush on her best friend, who turned me derisively, leading to my immediate dumping by Samantha and quick-smart relegation back to the D-league of lurve before you could say "you see, Michael? Women DON'T fancy you, by and large".

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  9. Sorry, should read "turned me DOWN derisively". Blame the hot tears of regret flooding from the acid ducts of despair down my careworn cheeks.

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  10. (Cheeks on my FACE, that is.)

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  11. Shit,
    Give it enough time and your "lower" cheeks will be "careworn" too...

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