MP says obese should wait for care | Ipswich Politics | Local Politics in Ipswich

i agree, as long as this applies to everyone, politicians, judges, police, councellors and so on.

and as long as fat people can lodge a claim for discrimination against the idiot that recomended it.

just dunno, do u?

There was a time when the hospitals ran like clockwork. They didn't discriminate whether you were too fat, too skinny, too white, too old, too much trouble, too inconvenient. That was in the bad ol' days of Joh, remember? -now we've got the 'good' Labor gov in and look at the place. An absolute disgrace that part of this governments response is to herd people into groups of 'who deserves' to be attended to. Nothing short of a Royal Commission will sort this nest of vipers out. In Labors own words from yesteryear - 'It's time!'

And drug addicted people should get themselves off drugs before they get treatment at a hospital. And alcholics need to give up the drink first. And children with ADHD and behavioural problems, well, you'll have to sit still or you will go to the bottom of the list.

We really need to treat the source of the problem, and not punish people for suffering from it.

I can see where they are coming from, but not all overweight people are that way because they eat "maccas". You cant generalise something like that.

I am overweight, and I dont live on fast foods. I have suffered a chronic medical condition for the past 16yrs causing me to be tired all the time and on a very strict diet that meant alot of the healthy foods such as fruit and veges, I could only eat very small pointless amounts.
In response to the above comment, you can bet your life that polititians for one, would not be included.

I think there is a load more the government could do to help. Crack down on junk food advertising, and make the fast food chains clean up their act and stop selling people discusting food. Its not hard or expensive to make a healthy hamburger that isnt on foul sugar laden bread rolls.
I would love to own my own REAL healthy food place, but you just cant compete with the big chains.
Some benefits in private health care would be appreciated considering the rediculous amount it costs. With my policy it has a Jenny Craig incentive, which I thought great, until I read the fine print. You have to be a JC member for 12 months and have kept the weight off to receive a $100 rebate. Woopy doo!!!

Then youve got the council pools, I looked into doing aquarobics at the new one built nearby, and its just too expensive to even consider. Plus its done in a 32 degree pool, whats with that? Who wants to excercise in that heat? Its QLD for god sake.

This might work??!! Provided that the "powers that be" could finally make up their minds just what causes what ailment!
Having struggled for many years to regain my former "heallthy" weight, I now find, in my "declining years" that arthritis constricts my movements, therefore weight is a problem!!
I would suggest Jo-Anne, of Bundamba "walk a mile in a sufferers' shoes" before jumping in to make others lives less tolerable
Every illness has many side-issues, not least the cause of some of the illnesses!
Is the honourable member from Bundamba suggesting that she help form a sub-committee (at what expense?) to look into perhaps "compulsorily" herding people who are elderly into a programme to assess whether they are "fit citizens" for Government help? Or is there one already established? Perhaps we should all be forced to join a "weight control clinic"?
This is Australia, mate, not China!! MH Qld.

Well string me up now. Every single bloomin' day all I think of is losing weight.
That's it. I am not allowed to be relaxed and happy, unable to be comfortable. I am tired. I am categorised and bitched about by politicians and radio commentators and anyone who thinks their opinion is valid. If it weren't for my little boys I may as well be dead.
I am very sad and sick and tired of being bullied 'cause I am a big girl.

Yes I agree Partly but being overweight and getting a chronic disease is not just the fault of people in the community. Heart disease and other chronic diseases are culturally promoted and are not found in 70% of the rest of the world. Want chance do we have when TV and other advertising bombards us with foods that cause these problems. What choices do we have if we want to eat healthy. When we have a party even at Hospitals we have a choice of Fat Fat and more Fat, Why because our culture dictates what we eat. The division of GP's in the Lockyer Valley however have sponsered the best lifsyle program in the world which is educating people to change their lifsyle, called CHIP. People are going to find it hard to change unless programs like CHIP are introduce all over Australia. One person in the current program was on 88u/s of insulin After 3 weeks her insulin has dropped to 30u/s and she feels great.

I'm a doctor... maybe I'll just not treat thin people. But I wouldn't do that because that's unethical. We treat everyone equally no matter what comorbidities they have. Whether they are thin, fat, male, female, a race at risk of a certain disease, smoker or recreational drug user. It's a good thing the medical profession is self regulated. Leave it up to politicians and the whole thing would fall to peices. What they should be looking at is making dietician and counselling services easily available to those who may need a little more education about their diet.

if this is the reasoning of our ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES (public servants, not political leaders) what hope for queensland.

just dunno, do u?

Isn't it amazing how it's always people who don't have a weight problem who are first to aim a kick at those who do? Jo-Anne Miller really needs to think through the implications of her ignorant and short-sighted suggestion. We either discriminate against specific groups whose lifestyle choices make them Scapegoat of the Month: or we decide to be even-handed and withhold medical treatment from all patients whose health problems are the outcome of lifestyle choices.

So, who will be entitled to treatment? Not injured sportspeople: not drivers or passengers in cars: not women having babies: not couples having fertility treatment: not people with inherited conditions (their parents could have said no): not unimmunised people who contract an infectious disease: no-one with an STD: no-one with skin cancer (should have slip, slop, slapped)...doesn't leave too many for our health system to deal with, does it?

How about we prevent al fat headed politicians from accessing treatment until they prove they have a brain.

This is one of the most ill thought out discriminatory statements from a politician I have ever heard and she definately needs censuring. Maybe next she will make all anorexic people to start eating before accessing treatment or no motorbike rider to recieve treatment after all motorbikes are dangerous.

Jo Anne Miller should be pushing for all fast food to be regulated and only allowed a certain level of fat and sugar content and until this is done she should shut up and stop trying to dictate to people how they should live their lives.

What a mean spirited and sanctimonious society we are becoming. What's next? Redheads denied treatment for melanoma if they choose not to stay indoors? People denied eye treatment if they look too much? People like Jo-Ann Miller should be considering solutions which would enhance our society and quality of life, not finding scapegoats and easy fixes. My idea....perhaps Jo Ann (along with her fellow politicians) could donate some of their inflated salaries to the public health system to boost staff numbers/facilities and get the queues moving faster.

Rather than judging and discriminating people with weight issue maybe she should look at ways to help these people and others with similar issues. Maybe the government should look into offering FREE Weight Lose Programs, FREE Quit Smoking programs and the others that most of us need to help us have better life styles. Sometimes its cheaper to get a Happy Meal from a fast food place than it is to make a fruit salad for our kids as Fruit and Veg is getting so expensive. My kids love bananas (would happily eat 2 to 3 a day) but how can anyone afford to buy them at almost $1.20 each. Apples are about the same. It would be cheaper for me to buy fast food( if there was one near me) than to buy a few bananas and apples and other fruits for my kids. Jo-Ann saying change your habits but its not so easy when things are so expensive. Many would if they could afford to.

Obesity-related illness results in hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths and billions of dollars in health care costs. Being obese causes an increased risk for developing a number of serious and potentially fatal health problems, including: High blood pressure, High blood cholesterol, Type 2 Diabetes (researchers estimate that 88 to 97% of type 2 Diabetes cases diagnosed are a direct result of obesity), Congestive heart failure, heart disease, stroke, gout, osteoarthritis, Endometrial, breast, prostrate and colon Cancer, Infertility and Psychological disorders, such as depression.
Certainly there is a need to educate and support Queenslanders to stay slim, fit and healthy. However, instead of punishing overweight patients by frog-marching them to the back of the health queue, why not make gym and sporting memberships, weight loss centre and dietician consultations and counselling and hypnotherapy sessions tax deductible? Rather than pushing the self-esteem of the overweight further into the ground, thus making it even more difficult for them to lose weight, why not give them what they need? Finally, I think if politicians are going to criticise others for not being “responsible” in relation to their size, then their own BMI’s should be within normal range. Otherwise, they can appear hypocritical, at best.
Dr Patricia Petersen

that's all a bit rich coming from someone who draws a taxpayer funded salary; who drives a taxpayer funded registered and fuelled car; who has access to an extrordinarily generous taxpayer funded superannuation scheme and whose primary contribution seems to be grabbing a cheap headline.

Well I took the step of sending Jo-Ann an email and put my phone number on the bottom. Within minutes of hitting the send button the phone rang.
She was quick to say that this was not her idea but was suggested by Professor Fiona Woods. She was not correct on that front either, it was Professor Fiona Stanley, and she did not suggest what Jo-Ann said but that the government should provide more preventative health care needs to be ramped up.
So send her an email to let her know what you think at:
joann.miller@queenslandlabor.org

guess what! some overweight people are healthy, and do enjoy a good quality of life. It seems that you can kick, taunt and humilate the fattys, but you have to be so careful as to not offend gays, religous, foreigners, indiginous, depressed or suicidal, drug & alcohol addicated etc. Dont assume that because someone is fat they are unhealthy or that they would take a bite out of you if you fell in front of them, or need oxygen to move around. Jo and gang i do hope that all your family, friends etc are perfect like you, i would hate for them to be standing up the back with us fattys in our striped uniforms waiting for a seat in the furnace!

why stop there, why should fat people be the only ones. what about smokers, they cost the healthcare industry much more than obese people. and excessive drinkers cost the indusrty also. or is it perhaps because the mp likes a little drinkie every now and then and the odd smoke too?
wake up to yourself Ms miller get the right services in place so that obese people stand a good chance of becoming more healthy. why don't you start with counseling, have you ever tried to get a good counsellor in Ipswich ?

Firstly I am Jo-Ann Millers Electorate Officer, I felt the need to contribute to the online debate to clarify certain matters to ensure people understand what Jo-Ann has actually referred to rather than emotive reactions. I encourage people to read her speech which can be read here:

http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view...

I also want to clarify that the person she refers to is actually Prof Fiona Wood (http://www.uwa.edu.au/people/fiona.wood) a former Australian of the Year. Prof Wood has been advocating for many years surrounding this issue.

The purpose of this debate is extremely important for the future for a compassionate, affordable health care system.

Jo-Ann genuinely understands that there are different issues for people and that they need support to improve their health. She is the most commpasionate, dedicated elected person I know who genuinely cares about our community and isn't afraid tackling tough issues, becuase the tough issues are often our most important.

To SteveAxe at Bundamamba,
just EXACTLT where does it say in either of the links that you have provided that obese people should go to the back of the queue.
Answer...it doesn't.
I have watched the remarks made by Joann more than once and it is clear what she said...just a bit of sensationalism.

Dear Steve Axe.

Firstly, you are on Jo Ann Miller's payroll - quite literally, so I'm afraid your defence of her carries little weight (no pun intended) and can't possibly be taken seriously.
In saying this, I applaud you for the loyalty you demonstrate to your boss (however misplaced I personally believe it to be).
Secondly, if she were the "most compassionate, dedicated elected person [you] know", she would surely attack the reasons why many in the Bundamba electorate eat fast food and don't play sport, swim or attend gyms - many are on low wages, others are on pensions etc. Healthy food is expensive. Exercise costs money. Why doesn't she push for an increase in pensions, unemployment benefits and wages? Instead of preying on an already extremely vulnerable demographic, why doesn't she positively do something to assist those in need?
Again, I admire your loyalty - I consider it a virtue. But we're definitely not on the same page in relation to the referent of yours Steve.
Sincerely,
Dr Patricia Petersen