JOIN USDelhi is emerging as a new destination for foreign nationals seeking treatment for obesity, most of them from West Asia.
The surgery reduce obesity is becoming popular as awareness about its dangers, such as diseases like Type-2 diabetes, hypertension, infertility, cancer, heart diseases and sleep disorders increases.
Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals received 50 patients from abroad in 2011 seeking cure for obesity. Twenty of them came were from Gulf countries, 10 from Africa, 13 from western countries and seven from neighbouring countries of India like Pakistan, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
The number of patients from West Asia was the highest at BLK Super Speciality Hospital too. Thirty-five came from the region, most of them from Iraq. Twenty-five were from Africa and 12 from the west.
“These patients come to Delhi for bariatric surgery. The number of West Asians is highest because of lack of proper facilities and latest technologies.
“Earlier, the affluent in the Gulf countries got treated in the US and European countries. Now, due to low cost for the same treatment in India, many patients come here,” said Dr Deep Goel, Director, Minimal Access Bariatric Surgery andSurgical Gastroenterologist, BLK Super Speciality Hospital.
In bariatric surgery, the patient’s stomach is stitched to make it smaller. Sometimes, the food pathway is also reorganised so that food can go directly to the intestine avoiding absorption of calories by the body. In one year, a person loses up to 80 per cent of extra-weight through the surgery.
The surgery has certain side-effectes too. Patients have to take vitamin supplements all their life. There is at least one per cent chance of death too.
“The best method of weight-reduction is the natural method of exercises. But very few people can adopt this in practice, especially if the excess weight to is more than 20 kg,” said Dr Goel.