Public Petition

For Subsidized Medical Treatment for Obesity

As you know, I have been dedicated to the treatment of obesity for several years now, and I cannot help but feel more frustrated by the lack of treatment options for my patients because the existing medications that are intended for them are not subsidized. Even though Portugal was a pioneer in Europe and recognized obesity as a disease in 2004, over 20 years ago, a specific treatment category for obesity as a disease has not been created. As a result, when the medications arrive, they fall into a void, and there is no medical treatment coverage.

Surgical treatment is subsidized and performed under the National Health Service; however, it is still heavily tied to kilograms and BMI (body mass index) numbers. I hope that will change soon because we do not treat numbers, but people. Since obesity is characterized by adipose tissue that causes physical, mental, and/or metabolic diseases, interfering with the patient's quality of life, I do not see how such simplistic numbers as those shown on the scale reflect the person in all their complexity and health.

• That is why I have launched this petition, which I invite you to read and sign, but above all to share, so that justice can be served.

And think with me, obesity is a disease—why is there no subsidized medical treatment for it? Or, if that were not the case (and we know it is, but let's face some prejudices), isn't treatment for smoking cessation subsidized? Isn't treatment for lung cancer associated with smoking also subsidized? Please note that I am a former smoker; I am not criticizing (and did you know that many addictions and behaviors have a genetic component?)