Cash incentives for dieting criticised by MP

Reported January 12, 2009

Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe has criticised a trial which will see successful dieters rewarded with cash.

The Pounds For Pounds trial is being undertaken by NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent, which is recruiting 300 men and women who will receive between £70 and £425 for reaching personal weight loss targets.

However, Ms Widdecombe attacked the idea, pointing out that the NHS is already short of money.

'There are plenty of people who cannot get funding to pay for treatment for illnesses,' she observed.

'We can all control our own weight. If the NHS has to prioritise then this should be at the end of its priorities.'

According to a statement by NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent, the health trust has an annual budget of more than £1 billion, £200 million of which is spent on treated obesity-related diseases such as type-2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Under its scheme, people who lose 15lbs in weight will receive £70, while those who manage to lose 50lbs and keep it off for six months are eligible for the highest £425 payout.