Monday, 28 May 2012

Let Them Eat Rice Cake!

A BBC report on the costs to the NHS of gluten-free food brought back fond memories of the 'NHS Blog Doctor' blog, now sadly closed, and his impotent fury at the cost of prescriptions for doughy-faced teenagers demanding bread, cakes and pizza bases.

But any suggestion that bread isn't needed for survival is met with shock and horror at the very idea that people shouldn't have this paid for by the rest of us:


And if the costs are challenged, then the tack switches immediately to how 'mean' you are to refuse 'free' food:


Meanwhile, the pressure groups are moving in too, demanding their 'free' lunch:
Many patients find it challenging to manage a life‐long gluten‐free diet.
I have no doubt they do. I'm sure peanut-allergy sufferers have the occasional craving for a Planter's too. And diabetics for that delicious-looking meringue.

But why should I have to pay to take that responsibility away from them?

H/T: Robert Hale via email

11 comments:

  1. From the BBC:

    "Living as he does in rural Oxfordshire [...] Geoff relies on his prescriptions for gluten-free food."

    Funny; you'd think that Geoff might by now have found the extensive range of gluten-free products available in supermarkets and online; they deliver to your door these days - even in rural Oxfordshire.

    Mind you, they do expect money in return...

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  2. My mother has had to give up wheat based products in recent years but doesn't expect the NHS to pay for her changed dietary requirements.

    She is though of the opinion that gluten-free bread tastes like cardboard.

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  3. So the NHS now pays for people's food too, aren't vegetables gluten free, and meat?

    Poverty wouldn't recognise what idiots call poverty in the UK.

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  4. When youngest went through two years of wheat-based IBS (thankfully now out of her system and not fullblown Coeliacs, despite my mother having it) we were hassled frequently to get a proper diagnosis in order to qualify for the freebies. The paediatrician seemed genuinely shocked at the idea that we wouldn't put her through six-eight weeks of eating food that gave her horrendous tummy pains just to qualify for some free stuff afterwards.

    DSD

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  5. My youngest is coeliac. I do not expect the State to feed him. That's my job.

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  6. My wife is coeliac, and we manage perfectly well without the NHS picking up the bill.So the shopping takes longer as all the ingredients listed have to be checked, but the condition is not life threatening. Save the money for someone who is really ill.

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  7. Even Tesco do a line on gluten free foods. Terry Leahy says so in the book he is flogging.

    Skip to end of this article.

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  8. "Mind you, they do expect money in return..."

    That seems to be the rub, indeed...

    "She is though of the opinion that gluten-free bread tastes like cardboard."

    I once made the mistake of picking up a sandwich in a supermarket (or possibly Boots) ans not checking - it was only when I spat it out & checked the packaging I realised.

    It's rather like vegetarians who have nutroasts in the shape of meat. If you can't eat the real thing, why bother to pretend?

    " The paediatrician seemed genuinely shocked at the idea that we wouldn't put her through six-eight weeks of eating food that gave her horrendous tummy pains just to qualify for some free stuff afterwards."

    *appalled*

    "Save the money for someone who is really ill."

    Or for another useless politically-motivated feelgood campaign...

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  9. If you can't eat the real thing, why bother to pretend?

    Why indeed? As a vegetarian, I have two major gripes: firstly, people feel sorry for vegtarians and their 'bland' diet, so ready-made vegetarian food is frequently smothered with enough chilli to blow your head off and secondly - guess what! - I don't actually like meat (any more than it likes me), so the last thing I want is some concoction of textured vegetable protein masquerading as a sausage.

    For heaven's sake, learn to roast an aubergine or something!

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  10. From the article Julia links to above:

    "And patients want to be treated without fear of discrimination because of their sexuality, gender, race or religion. NHS organisations recognise that there are large personal and cost implications for not getting this right."

    Frankly, after yesterday's outing to radiography, some of us would settle for not being treated being with contempt and not having additional pain inflicted on us by rude and heedless nurses grabbing and twisting damaged limbs. Thanks, NHS. For nothing.

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  11. Also from the article:

    ....NHS North West's "equality and diversity team".

    Golgafrinchan B-Ark material if ever there was...

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