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A GP sparked fury today by controversially claiming healthcare professionals are ‘financially invested in killing people’.
Dr Asher Larmie, a trans, ‘weight-inclusive’ doctor based around Hertfordshire, posted the comment on Twitter.
His social media tirade implies that medics have some kind of financial benefit in allowing, or even facilitating, the death of their patients.
‘Healthcare professional, just like police officers are financially invested in killing people,’ he wrote.
‘Let me say that again. Healthcare professionals and police officers are FINANCIALLY INVESTED in KILLING PEOPLE.’
Dr Asher Larmie is a transgender non-binary ‘weight inclusive’ family doctor made an outrageous claim that healthcare professionals had a financial stake in killing people
The GP who proudly calls themselves the ‘The Fat Doctor’ added that ‘drug companies and insurance companies rule the healthcare profession’
The non-binary GP, who has worked as a medic for 20 years, made the outrageous statement partly relating to a shocking case in the US, where a woman died from a stroke after being arrested by police for refusing to leave hospital.
On February 6, Lisa Edwards, 60, from Tennessee refused to leave a hospital and was arrested on trespassing charges when she died in the back of the police cruiser – minutes after telling cops ‘you’re going to kill me’.
Dr Larmie linked the incident to what they claimed was a wider issue in which professionals had a financial stake in ending the lives of certain people.
‘There’s money to be made in killing black people and fat people and disabled people,’ he said.
‘Oh I’m sorry, did I offend your delicate sensibilities? Am I being completely over-the-top? This doctor has completely lost it, right? Sure you keep telling yourselves that.
‘Just go about your day ignoring the way that drug companies and insurance companies rule the healthcare profession.’
He didn’t detail his exact logic or provide any evidence of how medical professionals are ‘financially invested in killing people’.
He is no stranger to controversy, however.
Branding themselves as ‘The Fat Doctor’, he claims that being fat is not a health problem, and that weight loss plans are ‘fatphobic’.
Dr Larmie declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline.
It is unclear if his statements breach the guidelines set by the doctors’ regulator, the General Medical Council (GMC), which has a standard of behaviour medics in the UK are expected to meet.
However, the GMC has said that it can take regulatory action against medics who ‘undermine public confidence in doctors generally’.
Other GMC guidelines on what constitutes ‘good medical practise’ says that doctors shouldn’t ’cause patients distress’ through their own personal beliefs.
The GMC was contacted for comment.
Professor Karol Sikora, a world-renowned oncologist with over 40 years experience in the medical profession, told MailOnline Dr Larmie’s comments could needlessly make people afraid of their doctors.
‘Unless he has serious evidence he should not frighten people at a time when the NHS is struggling to meet its obligations in the backlog,’ he said.
Professor Sikora added that the GP’s claims that medical professional had a financial investment in killing people were nonsensical.
‘He needs to produce the evidence to back-up his claims. It will alarm people. But how does he think anybody will make money out of this?’.
Dr Larmie is no stranger to controversy having founded the #noweigh movement, a campaign aiming to empower obese and overweight people to refuse to be weighed by medical professionals.
This campaign also aims to ‘educate’ health professionals on ‘weight-stigma’.
The GP has also previously said that people being healthy is largely down to whether they are born ‘white, male, able-bodied, cisgender and heterosexual’.
Dr Larmie even charges people £200 for 60-to-90 minute virtual consultations as health coach.
‘Reclaim your health journey with personalized one-on-one consultations with a doctor who understands’, his website reads.
However, a legal waiver clients sign before booking a consultation makes it clear these are not held with Dr Larmie acting as a GP.
‘Only a qualified professional (such as a doctor, nurse or allied healthcare practitioner) can diagnose a health condition. Whilst I am a doctor, I will not be acting in my capacity as a doctor,’ it reads.
This waiver covers any illness or injuries that may result, including death.
Another section advertising webinars for health professionals says: ‘You agree to hold Dr Asher (formerly Natasha) Larmie harmless from any and all liability for all claims for damages due to injuries, including attorney’s fees and costs, incurred by you or caused to third parties by you, arising out of information in this course.’