The Royal Melbourne Hospital will today open a purpose-built room with wider doorways, super-strong beds and a reinforced toilet - believed to be the first Australian facility of its kind for obese men and women.
Other equipment will include heavy-duty arm rails and special hoists to help patients into and out of bed.
The ward for overweight patients reflects an obesity trend that claims at least 17,000 Australian lives a year.
Recent studies have shown 47 per cent of women and 63 per cent of men are overweight, and that within five years 70 per cent of all Australians will be over their healthy weight range.
Doctors fear the number of heart-related deaths will soar if the trend continues.
The Melbourne hospital facility will be able to cope with patients who weigh up to 500kg.
