August 20

Weight was the topic of the evening.

Want your bonus? Cut the flab

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/08/19/10147623.html

08/19/2007 06:25 PM | By Nina Muslim, Staff Reporter

Dubai: Tipping the scales too much could tank Health Ministry clinic staff's career future.

The primary healthcare department at the ministry is considering making weight a factor in determining bonuses and career advancement opportunities for its staff.

Dr Mariam Mattar, assistant undersecretary for public health and primary healthcare at the ministry, told Gulf News that medical workers have to be healthier than their patients.

"The objective is not to be slim and nice-looking, I just want my staff to be fit and not obese," she said.

"In the end, they will thank me because they will have low cholesterol, control their blood sugar, hypertension, look younger, look nicer and [feel better]," she added.

She said under the project, staff's monthly evaluation would include their body-mass-index (BMI) value.

If the BMI is above 25, classified as overweight or 30, which is obese according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), employees could lose their year-end bonus and the opportunity to attend career enhancement training funded by the ministry.

She added that the staff evaluation would take into account their age, gender and body fat distribution, as well as any health conditions that prevented them from maintaining a healthy weight.

She also said that the healthy weight policy, pending approval by the health minister, would not affect the department's hiring procedures.

"Let them be obese and fat when they join the PHC department. We'll put them in the programme once they're hired," she added.