Gastric band op axed after 7 years on waiting list

A 29-stone Limerick man who has been waiting seven years to have a gastric band fitted said he is "outraged" the service in Dublin has been axed for the rest of the year.

Eoin O’Connell, 32, from Garryowen in Limerick city, said he believes overweight people are being “totally discriminated by the State”.

“Many people are going to die if they don’t get this operation. I have been struggling for a long time, and my only hope was getting this gastric bypass,” he said.