AN OBESITY time bomb will cost South Yorkshire more than £400m if urgent action is not taken, health chiefs have been warned.
The cost to the NHS of treating patients who are overweight or obese is expected to soar by 11 per cent during the next seven years.
Health minister Dawn Primarolo has written to health chiefs urging them to tackle the problem.
Read more: Nearly a fifth overweight starting schoolNew figures released by the DoH revealed that treating obesity or overweight-related illnesses cost the NHS in South Yorkshire a staggering £381.6m last year. A total of £148.7m was spent in Sheffield, £72.2m in Rotherham, £72.3m in Barnsley and £88.4m in Doncaster.
The DoH Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives tool kit includes a disturbing projection of how these costs will rise in future years.
By 2015, the treatment of obese and overweight people will place an expected £423.5m burden on the NHS in South Yorkshire
The cost is expected to be £165m in Sheffield, £80.1m in Rotherham, £80.3m in Barnsley and £98.1m in Doncaster.
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