Medics ignore their own guidelines

The Longrider is not impressed with the latest bout of bansturbation from the medical profession.

It seems barely a day passes without someone – frequently a medic – thinking that it is their place to tell us how to live our lives.

How right he is. They are a blight on society, are they not? Today's frenzy of bansturbatory frottage is all about chocolate and obesity and whether proles can make decisions about calorific intake without a team of doctors and nurse practitioners being on hand.

Why, I thought, do these grossly-overpaid people waste their time on ephemera like the diet of the general public. Haven't they got better things to do?

Well, here's what they should be doing, according to the General Medical Council. A few excerpts:

Treat patients as individuals and respect their dignity

It's hard to see how they square this with blanket bans on smoking, taxes on things they deem bad and so on. Perhaps these words mean something different to people earning £100k a year.

Listen to patients and respond to their concerns and preferences

So taxing chocolate counts as "responding to patients' preferences" does it? Or perhaps doctors just feel they can ignore the GMC?

Respect patients' right to reach decisions with you about their treatment and care

They seem to be ignoring this one too.

Support patients in caring for themselves to improve and maintain their health

But if they won't listen, just give 'em the treatment anyway eh? Make 'em do as they're told. After all, they're proles.

Never abuse your patients' trust in you or the public's trust in the profession.

What trust is that?

Comments

[Chris H]

And what about the Hippocratic Oath, with it's pledge to do no harm? These instructions from on high do plenty of harm, frightening people for no good reason.

[mikiwud]

DEBATE:Will a chocolate tax fight obesity?SENT:13-Mar-2009 09:31COMMENT:A lot of taxes on such as alcohol, smoking, cars, etc are fueled by "charities" looking after our "wellbeing". Most of these "charities" are financed by Government departments to "lobby" for changes that the Government want.
Check fakecharities .org
You will be surprised at some famous charities on the list. COMMENT STATUS:Rejected

Fate of my comment on BBC News Front Page.

[davie]

ban it.
chocolate,or what is sold as chocolate,that fat laden greasy,fetid,vomit making concoction that is sold in this land as chocolate should be banned without any doubt.
we should'nt however,ban the fine properly manufactured chocolate,made with proper care and quality by the experts(swiss/belgian,etc.),this is not fattening,healthy and extremely beneficial to us all.
ban the crap certainly.

[James P]

"Hippocratic Oath"

Which they no longer take, I gather! Explains a lot...