The committee that plans and oversees medical care for the county of Hertfordshire in England announced recently that unless obese patients lose a specified amount of weight and smokers quit smoking for at least 8 weeks, they will not be allowed to undergo elective surgery. Patients with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 40 must lose 15% of their weight within 9 months, and patients with a BMI over 30 must lose at least 10%. Free counseling for weight loss and smoking cessation is available to all. More…….
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