Thoughts from Down-under

I made a flying visit to Australia, and though I’ve been back for one week, I’m only now adjusting my body clock back to UK time. Some patients might think me half asleep during clinics, but I just close my eyes to help me think better….honestly. Five cities in five days, and not a kangaroo or koala bear to be seen, until I was back at Melbourne airport where the tourist shops were selling them, stacking them high, and selling them, well, not cheap. But that’s another story.

I’d been asked to visit Australia to talk to health professionals and politicians about obesity and weight management in Australia. On the very day I visited the House of Parliament in Canberra the Prime Minister resigned, and within minutes a new lady Prime Minister, Australia’s first ever, was announced. I watched the press conference alongside many others who were astonished to witness history in the making.

So, not surprisingly, Australia’s leading politicians were a bit twitchy that day, but I did meet with them long enough to form the opinion, and to my great surprise, that Australia is lagging behind the UK in terms of dealing with the problem of overweight at a national level. “Being overweight”, they asserted, “is an individual’s problem, and therefore an individual’s responsibility. It has little to do with the government”. And that’s where we were fundamentally at odds. Yes, health starts at home, and we all have a responsibility to do what we can to help ourselves. But it is also important that government, both local and national, does what it can to make it easier for us, even more attractive and desirable for us, to live a more active lifestyle, and eat a healthier diet. As a parent I can do what I can, but I can’t make the play parks more fun, or the streets safer, so my kids can play out in security. I can’t influence the type of food my workplace makes available in the canteen, and as a doctor I can’t make fresh fruit and vegetables available a low prices in every neighbourhood. So, “yes mate, we all have a responsibility, but that has to include your government too”.

You’ve taken your responsibility seriously, that’s why you’ve engaged with the Jenny Craig weight management programme. You’ve got the support of your personal coach. Do you think you also need support from your local or national government? Tell me what you think they could do for you………

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