The Ombudsman for Children, Marek Michalak, asked the Minister of He alth to introduce dietitians' advice to the guaranteed benefits package. In its justification, the spokesman referred to data according to which every eighth Polish child is overweight or obese.
There are more and more overweight and obese children in Poland. According to a UNICEF report, over the past decade, the proportion of overweight children in developed countries has increased in 17 out of 21 countries. The highest increase was recorded in Poland, where the number of overweight children doubled. Currently, every eighth of our children is overweight or obese. This means that preventive, educational and promoting a he althy lifestyle campaigns do not bring results.
For over 50 years, obesity has been treated as a separate disease entity by the World He alth Organization's inclusion in the International Statistics of Diseases and He alth Problems. It requires treatment tailored individually to each patient. The most important treatment for obesity is to change your eating habits. Doctors and nutritionists help in this. Unfortunately, the Polish patient has to pay for dietary advice out of his own pocket. One piece of advice is PLN 50 or more. And obesity mainly develops in lower-income families who cannot afford to buy good-quality food or consult a nutritionist.
For several years, the community of doctors, nutrition specialists and non-governmental organizations acting for the benefit of overweight and obese people has been calling for the introduction of dietary advice to the so-called a basket of guaranteed benefits, i.e. those reimbursed by the National He alth Fund. In 2015. They appealed to the Prime Minister and the Minister of He alth to enable pregnant women and parents of children up to 3 years of age to benefit from dietary advice financed from public funds. It was a step towards ensuring that your baby is properly nourished in the prenatal, infancy and early childhood periods to prevent obesity in the later stages of development. The appeal was supported by data from the Institute of Mother of Child, according to which only 7 percent. Polish mothers compose their children the correct diet. Children's diets lack vegetables, too much s alt and sugar. They also eat too many meals a day.
The response of the government and the Ministry of He alth was inclusion in the National He alth Program for 2016-2020a task aimed at providing pregnant women and parents of children up to 5 years of age with access to free dietary advice, as well as strengthening the role of midwives, nurses and school hygienists in preventive activities. In November this year. The Ombudsman for Children took the next step and asked the Minister of He alth to introduce nutritional and dietary advice to the package of benefits guaranteed for all patients. In this way, overweight and obese adults will also be able to use this form of treatment support free of charge. According to the data of the Food and Nutrition Institute, overweight or obesity is already over 60 percent. Poles.
Poradnikzdrowie.pl supports safe treatment and a dignified life of people suffering from obesity.
This article does not contain discriminatory and stigmatizing content for people suffering from obesity.
Magdalena Gajda A specialist in obesity disease and obesity discrimination of people with diseases. President of the OD-WAGA Foundation of People with Obesity, Social Ombudsman for the Rights of People with Obesity in Poland and a representative of Poland in the European Coalition for People Living with Obesity. By profession - a journalist specializing in he alth issues, as well as a PR, social communication, storytelling and CSR specialist. Privately - obesity since childhood, after bariatric surgery in 2010. Starting weight - 136 kg, current weight - 78 kg.