UK obese and addicts may lose sickness benefits
British Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservative party is mulling whether to reduce or halt benefits worth £100 a week for people deemed capable of doing more to help themselves.
Those who are not capable of sustaining themselves financially because of being obese or suffering from addictions may lose their sickness benefits, if they do not adhere to government treatment plans to be outlined by Cameron on Saturday.
In accordance to the proposed guidelines drawn up by the Tories, claimants who could better themselves by participating in medical programs tailored to make them to lose weight, stop using drugs or drinking alcohol will be targeted, The Guardian reports.
The proposals, which are likely to be met with resistance from charities and doctors, come in a week when the Conservatives have already been criticized fire for their failure to deal with tax avoidance by the rich while axing benefits for the poor.
The Conservative Party’s plans will be implemented should they win the general election in May.
Similar proposals have been put forward before by the Conservative-controlled Westminster council in the past.
In 2013, guidelines were introduced stating that jobseekers could have their unemployment benefits halted if they were suspected of substance abuse problems, which inhibited their job searching activities.
Dr. Lawrence Buckman, the British Medical Association GP committee chairman, referred to the proposal as “draconian and silly”.
DrugScope, a charity, censured the guidelines warning that it set “dangerous precedent” while breaching the National Health Service’s constitution.
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