She is definitely a Getbigger!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2194804/Doctor-refusing-treat-200lb-woman-grounds-staff-injured-obese-patients.html?ito=feeds-newsxmlA doctor in Worcester, Massachusetts has been branded 'uncaring' after turning away an obese woman who came to her for treatment.
Dr Helen Carter, an award-winning primary care physician and internist, has been refusing to treat overweight patients since the spring in efforts to protect staff that she says have too often been injured by them.
But while admitting that her weight does fluctuate over 200lbs, rejected patient Ida Davidson has hit back at the doctor saying her attitude is disappointing.
Speaking to Boston's WCVB, the middle-aged woman recalled her visit to Dr Carter's practice: 'She's like, "You gained weight, are your feet swollen, are your feet swollen?" I said "No."
'She was really obsessed about the whole thing and me being in her office and she didn't want to care for me.'
Defending her refusal of treatment, Dr Carter explained calmly: 'After three consecutive injuries [with other patients] trying to care for people over 250 pounds, my office is unable to accommodate a certain weight and we put a limit on it.'
And according to the American Medical Association's Council on Ethics and Judicial Affairs, she is well within her legal and ethical rights to do just that.
Both patients and physicians should be able to exercise freedom in whom to enter into a patient-physician relationship,' policy documents read. 'Physicians do not give up their freedom of association by merely becoming professionals.'
The rules, she explained, do not just protect her employees, but with a third of Americans classified as obese, also hope to motivate people to examine their own health and weight goals.
Average: A third of Americans are obese like Ms Davidson
'For people who are established patients I've told them that they're grandfathered in so it doesn't apply to them but I've have at least two people be very motivated,' she revealed.
But for Ms Davidson, Dr Carter's harsh rejection showed a startling lack of interest expected from a woman in her profession.
'She didn't care about my health that day,' she lamented. 'She just cared that I was a liability to her and too much work.'
Jezebel noted the danger of such an attitude and how it might indeed affect the relationship between doctor and patient.
'Isn't there psychological and emotional harm done when a doctor - someone you're attempting to have an intimate, deeply personal relationship with - refuses to examine you because your body isn't thin enough?' Asked Dodai Stewart. 'What if a patient is turned away and is so humiliated embarrassed she avoids seeking medical attention?'
But Dr Albert Tiana, an OB-GYN in Florida who made headlines last year for the same reason as Dr Carter, offered a counter argument.
'People don't realize the risk we're taking by taking care of these patients, he told the Sun Sentinel at the time. 'There's more risk of something going wrong and more risk of getting sued.'
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2194804/Doctor-refusing-treat-200lb-woman-grounds-staff-injured-obese-patients.html#ixzz24sbQjmLU
