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Three million refused NHS ops… for smoking or being too fat: Third of trusts deny routine procedures including hip and knee replacements to overweight patients

One in eight NHS trusts will not fund routine operations for smokers

Figures from Royal College of Surgeons will raise concerns that managers are withholding vital treatment

NHS budget under huge strain from ageing population and soaring cost of new drugs

But College warns smokers and overweight are being seen as easy targets

Up to three million patients are being refused NHS operations unless they lose weight or quit smoking, an investigation reveals.

A third of health trusts deny hip and knee replacements, varicose vein repair and other routine procedures to anyone considered too fat.

And one in eight will not fund these operations for smokers, instead offering them nicotine gum, patches and advice on how to quit. The figures, obtained by the…