UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is planning to encourage unemployed obese people “back into work” by offering them free weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.
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In an attempt to get people up and motivated and get a handle on the global unemployment crisis affecting those in the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the answer might be free weight loss shots like Ozempic and Wegovy. He believes these drugs “could be very important” for the country’s sluggish economy.
Speaking with BBC, Prime Minister Keir Starmer added, “[These drugs] will be very helpful to people who want to lose weight, need to lose weight, very important for the economy so people can get back into work.”
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PM Starmer’s comments arrive after Health Secretary Wes Streeting wrote an opinion piece for the Telegraph, in which he claimed, “our widening waistbands are holding back our economy and placing a significant burden on our health service.” He also added that weight loss drugs might be able to help unemployed obese people in the UK to seek work and find new jobs.
Streeting added, “Illness caused by obesity causes people to take an extra four sick days a year on average, while many others are forced out of work altogether. The long-term benefits of these drugs could be monumental in our approach to tackling obesity. For many people, these weight-loss jabs will be life-changing, help them get back to work, and ease the demands on our NHS [National Health Service].”
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Streeting’s comments arrive as the British government announced a five-year trial in Greater Manchester of the weight loss drug Mounjaro, also known as Tirzepatide. The drug will be tested on 3,000 participants. Over the next three years, officials said nearly 250,000 people are expected to receive the Mounjaro shot.
According to Fortune, there are 11 million Brits currently unemployed. According to BBC, the latest NHS Health Survey for England (2022) shows 29% of adults were obese and 64% were deemed to be overweight. Streeting also said that illnesses related to obesity cost the NHS £11 billion a year, or about $12 billion. Streeting added that obesity has been linked to the development of type 2 diabetes, on which the NHS spends £10 billion a year, or about 9% of its budget.
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