“Should Smokers and Drinker be denied treatment on the NHS?”

This Thursday the Medical Society debated the motion: “Should Smokers and Drinker be denied treatment on the NHS?”

Main arguments for the motion were:

The World Health Organisation estimates that “in developed countries of North America, Europe and the Asian Pacific, at least one-third of all disease burden is attributed to these five risk factors: Tobacco, alcohol, blood pressure cholesterol and obesity.”

The smoker’s health problems are self-inflicted and other non-smoking taxpayers should not be left with the bill.

There is already a substantial amount of money being spent on advertising and initiatives to stop smoking, so more shouldn’t be spent on treatment.

Smoking should be banned so a lenient policy on treatment would be inconsistent.

Main arguments against the motion were:

Since smoking is not banned, how can treatment be legitimately denied to law-abiding citizens?

It is unfair to discriminate against a lifestyle choice, what about those who participate in dangerous sports? There are risks associated with everything in real life.

Banning smoking may lead to other restrictions on the freedom of citizens in the British society, and the state should not be given so much power.

Denial of care can undermined the physician’s relationship with the patient. Doctors are supposed to help people, not tell them how to live their lives.

The tax that smokers pay on cigarettes covers most of the healthcare costs of the NHS.

Somewhat worryingly, considering most in the room are to be future physicians, the motion won.