Spain is one of the countries with the highest rates of overweight and obesity, but the waiting lists to undergo a weight reduction operation in public health are endless, doctors criticize
Spain is one of the countries with the highest rates of overweight and obesity. A country where, however, patient access to bariatric surgery in public health is still very limited. So much so that, from a first consultation to access this technique, until you go through the operating room, it can take an average of between 4 and 5 years. This was explained this Wednesday at a press conference on the occasion of the SECO Congress Las Palmas 2023organized by the Spanish Society of Obesity Surgery (SECO) with the collaboration of the obesity section of the Spanish Association of Surgeons (AEC).
“We faculty have the urgent need to give an adequate response to this disease, the so-called other pandemic of the 21st century, and which has been shown to be directly related to the increase in suffering from different and complex types of cancer, among other pathologies,” he explained. Dr. Asunción Acosta Méridapresident of the scientific meeting, attended by more than 400 surgeons from different countries.
8.4 million adults and 1.5 million children are obese in Spain, according to expert data
The meeting, explained its organizers, aims to give visibility to the “remarkable effort” that has been carried out for years in the treatment of obesity in our country. 8.4 million adults and 1.5 million children are obese in Spain and to 2030, these rates are expected to reach 30% of the adult population, according to expert data.For this reason, at the appointment in the Canary Islands, will address, among other issues, the relationship between the cancer and obesitythe solutions that metabolic surgery offers to diabetes, or the connotations that obesity and bariatric surgery have in the woman or in pregnancy.
A safe intervention
They will attend the congress national reference master surgeons and international from the United States, Belgium, Egypt, Luxembourg passing through Portugal, Argentina or Colombia. And on the table, its organizers have explained, will be the advances in bariatric and metabolic surgery, as well as sharing the latest discoveries and research in this field. A surgery that As indicated by Dr. Amador Garcíavice president of SECO, offers “excellent results” to patients, but is still surrounded by prejudice by the alleged dangers that can entail despite being a safe technique.
For the autonomous communities, the waiting list for people with obesity “is not a priority”, criticize the surgeons
Doctor García himself explained that, in Spain, however, access to this intervention in public health has some very long delays. For the communities, he censured, the waiting list of people with obesity “is not a priority”. This is how he said that, while in a disease like cancer, “no one doubts the guarantee times on the waiting lists, the same does not exist in obesity. And obesity kills.”
five years of waiting
Thus, from the moment the patient is first consulted to see if you are a candidate for surgeryUntil it goes through the operating room, it can take up to five years. “It is difficult to estimate the real waiting list. But, for example, in my hospital (the San Carlos Clinic, in Madrid) are now included (for surgery) are patients who entered the lists in 2018 or 2019,” he said. Dr. Andrés Sánchez Pernautepresident of SECO.
Doctors criticize “the misconception” of public administrations and insurers thinking that bariatric surgery is an expensive technique
The specialist assured that, currently, only between 1% and 2% of obese Spanish candidates for weight loss surgery are operated on. Going up to 2%, he reviewed, would mean doubling the number of patients who can be operated on. And he criticized “the misconception” of public administrations and insurers, thinking that it is an expensive technique. “Now the costs have gone down a lot.even if you talk about robotic surgery,” he said.
health tourism
That motivates, indicated his colleague, doctor García, that “unfortunately many patients look for opportunities in other countries because economic conditions are better and because access to public health is extremely slow. No one doubts the professionalism of the surgeons in Turkey -he pointed out in reference to one of the meccas of health tourism- but need to follow up“.
About bariatric surgery in adolescents, Dr. Sánchez Pernaute admitted that this is a controversial issue, but he defended the benefits of an intervention of this type in minors which, he said, “are perfectly demonstrated” due to the risk they have of developing diseases due to being overweight. “There are young people between the ages of 14 and 22, in a socially difficult time to bearwith morbid obesity. Cases of 17-year-old children weighing 180 kilos. Even if you try to remove the stigma from them, they have it and It is very important to solve the problem as soon as possible.“, settled.