Sir, – I write in relation to the shortage of the Ozempic medication and the clear emergence of discrimination against people suffering from obesity in favour of diabetes sufferers (“Access to groundbreaking anti-obesity drugs to be limited due to ‘unprecedented’ demand”, News, April 15th).
The message being sent to obese patients is that their condition is of lesser importance that diabetes. I would contend that this is morally and ethically false.
Obesity was formally seen as some kind of weakness in the sufferer. Thankfully nowadays most people working in this area recognise obesity as a complex combination of physical, psychological and environmental factors.
A number of years ago I developed a psychological approach to obesity to be used primarily in conjunction with Ozempic under the care of an endocrinologist. Waiting lists are currently closed due to the success of this approach.
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Obesity patients are currently travelling from pharmacy to pharmacy attempting to source Ozempic and often feel humiliated by rejection. Their recovery is being hampered by the lack of this medication. I might add that they are purchasing this medication at their own expense.
It is difficult not to interpret the current policy as “obesity shaming”. It needs to change. – Yours, etc,
JOSEPH FLANAGAN,
MPhil (Psychoanalysis),
BSc (Psychotherapy),
MIACP,
Leixlip,
Co Kildare.