Morbid obesity is becoming a major health problem here as doctors at Tawam Hospital have conducted four rare operations for the first time in the UAE.
The operations were conducted under the supervision of Professor Rudy Steffen, head of Surg-ery Department in Bluewin Hospital, Switzerland.
The procedure, called gastric bypass and banding, was also shown to the participants of a workshop on minimal invasive surgery. It was organised to introduce new developments in the field of obesity surgery.
The team of doctors that conducted the operations included surgeons from Tawam Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) at the UAE University.
Dr Gabi Wazz, General and Laparoscopic Surgeon at Tawam Hospital, said more than 60 patients with morbid obesity are awaiting operations at the hospital.
Tawam Hospital is the only medical facility in the country that offers comprehensive treatment and surgical facilities for patients suffering from morbid consequences of obesity. Looking at the gravity of the problem, said Dr Wazz, the authorities are planning to open new centres to treat the disease.
Dr Fawaz Chikh Torab, Assistant Professor and Consultant Surgeon at the Department of Surgery in the FMHS, said 30 per cent of UAE nationals are suffering from obesity. "Out of this, 50 per cent are suffering from morbid obesity for which there is no cure other than surgery."
Dr Torab said morbid obesity is a serious condition in which a person gains 40 or more kilos above his or her normal weight. It also increases the risk of other diseases such as diabetes and 17 per cent of the countrys population is suffering from it.
Gulf News
