Australia’s NSW Government has spent almost $1
million building six heavy duty ambulances for the state’s growing
number of seriously obese people. The NSW Ambulance Service fleet of three mega lift ambulances,
in use since 2002, will be doubled with another three of the vehicles
launched today.

The addition comes after Ambulance Service research found there are
some 400 people living in NSW outside of Sydney who weigh more than
200kg.

"Sadly, a few years ago we would do two or three
severely obese cases a month. That’s now escalated up to six cases a
week," Ambulance Service operations manager Mike Willis said today.
"The whole concept of these vehicles is that there is no lifting of the patient by ambulance officers at all."

Each
vehicle costs about $150,000 to fit out, which is about three times the
cost of a standard ambulance, NSW Health Minister Reba Meagher told
today’s launch.

"There is a high cost when it comes to cases
of severe obesity - not only with respect to people’s quality of life
but to the community as a whole," Ms Meagher said.

"Mega lift ambulances are just one example, as is the amount of time required to transport severely obese patients."

The
new vehicles will be based at Newcastle, Dubbo and Wollongong and join
mega lift ambulances already operating at Macquarie Fields, Caringbah
and Blacktown.

Allocation of the mega lift ambulances follows
Premier Morris Iemma’s release of figures last month showing more than
60 per cent of the population in parts of far-western NSW are
overweight or obese.

Ms Meagher today denied that provision of the mega lift ambulances was a sign obesity was acceptable.

"We have a responsibility to deliver health care to all our community," she said.

"Obesity is a severe health problem and we have all got to pay the price.

"Ambulance
have recorded that there is increased requirements for the use of these
trucks and in fact that’s why we’re investing in more of them … an
additional three trucks to help carry the load."

Initiatives such as the Live Life Well campaign have been implemented to target the problem of obesity, Ms Meagher said.

Stretchers
and wheelchairs in the mega lift ambulances can carry up to 400kg and
are designed for patients who weigh more than 180kg or for those who
have too large a girth for a standard ambulance stretcher.

Via News.com.au