The Supreme Audit Office (NIK) report found that close to 60% of adult Poles are now overweight, with 21% being considered obese.

“It's time to finally start talking loudly about the fact that obesity kills: it shortens life by up to 15 years! Failure to recognize obesity in a patient is medical malpractice,” Prof. Mariusz Wyleżoł, bariatric surgeon and head of the Warsaw Center for Comprehensive Obesity Treatment and Bariatric Surgery at Czerniakowski Hospital, told Polskie Radio.

“If we do not treat it, we will have to treat all its complications, which generate much higher costs. Meanwhile, early action prevents complications, e.g., bariatric surgery reduces the risk of cancer by 57%,” he added.

But speaking at a conference organized by the Foundation for the Treatment of Obesity, Deputy Minister of Health Wojciech Konieczny admitted that the state cannot afford projects such as the highly regarded KOS-BAR program, which provides comprehensive medical care for patients with morbid obesity via surgery.

Instead, he proposed expanding the preventive program for people over 40 and moving it to the area of occupational medicine.

This would mean that occupational medicine physicians would be required to check BMI and assess lipid profile, as well as evaluate changes in patients health status during check-ups.