Queensland hospital and health services push to ban soft drinks

SOFT drink is set to be banned from a Brisbane facility in a plan aimed at setting an example for the community amid the obesity epidemic.

Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital chief executive Fionnagh Dougan wants to eventually pull soft drinks from vending machines and eateries.

THE boss of Queensland’s only stand-alone children’s hospital is pushing for a ban on soft drink sales at the ­Brisbane facility.

In a plan aimed at setting an example for the community amid the obesity epidemic, Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital chief executive Fionnagh Dougan wants to eventually pull soft drinks from vending machines and eateries.

It comes as a ministerial briefing, obtained by The Courier-Mail, suggests all the state’s hospital and health services are planning to phase out the sales of sugary drinks.

“During a meeting with the Director-General in late 2015, the Hospital and Health Board Chairs agreed to voluntarily cease the provision of sugar-sweetened drinks,” it says.

Ms Dougan previously worked in New Zealand where public health boards ban sales of sugar-sweetened soft drinks.

“For me, it is a goal that we will not be selling or supplying soft drinks within our hospital,” she said.

“Soft drink is just pure sugar. If soft drinks are banned, that’s a really sensible thing.”

Ms Dougan will need board approval before implementing the ban at the Lady Cilento hospital, which regularly treats children weighing more than 100kg at its obesity clinic.

The ministerial briefing said Queensland Health was exploring mechanisms to assist boards where lease arrangements with hospital vendors were an impediment.

“A deferral of $3.2 million from the 2015-2016 budget has been approved for this purpose,” the document said.

Other government facilities may also be gearing up to pull sugar-sweetened drinks from vending machines and cafes.

Diabetes Queensland CEO Michelle Trute said government should be “leaders of change”.

“Sugary drinks have no nutritional value, therefore have no place in government workplaces,” Ms Trute said.