“Qatar is one of the leading nations when it comes to Obesity,” stated Dr. Abdulazim Abdul Wahab Hussain, Consultant General Surgeon and Medical Director of Al-Ahli Hospital, while speaking at the Medical Symposium on Morbid Obesity.  Over 100 doctors from Doha attended this Symposium.  “It is reported that 39% of the population is obese, with the incidence in women being much higher.  It is an endemic problem and it is also a vicious circle that the prosperity and increase in disposable income has led to high calorie diet and sedentary lifestyle, which in turn is the main cause of obesity,” he added.

 

Dr. Omar Naji, Specialist Surgeon who introduced the topic said, “Our children too have not been spared.  30% of our children are reported to be obese and the main cause of this is the easy availability of fast food and lack of exercise.  However Morbid Obesity is a major concern when a person has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 40.  In such chronic cases, diet and lifestyle modifications may not be sufficient and therefore one has to look at surgical options.”

 

Dr. Fawzi Mahmoud Jadallah, Consultant General Surgeon, spoke about Gastric Banding.  He said, “A Gastric Band is a silicone band that is looped around the stomach to decrease the eating capacity of the Guest.  This procedure can result in Guests losing up to 50% of their excess body weight.  It is a simple procedure and the procedure is irreversible as the band can be removed at any time.”

 

Dr. Abdulazim spoke about the newer technique called Sleeve Gastrectomy: “It is a surgical weight-loss procedure in which the stomach is reduced to about 15% to 20% of its original size, by surgical removal of a large portion of the stomach, following the greater curve. The advantages of this procedure are that it reduces stomach volume without loss of function, dramatically improves health problems related to weight, because of good and early results and allows most types of foods to be eaten in small amounts with no problems of malabsorption.”

 

Dr. Munir Saeed, Specialist General Surgeon, spoke on Gastric Balloon insertion and Laparoscopic Gastric Placation.  He stated, “Gastric Balloon can be a good method to decrease certain proportions of excess weight for a length of six months after which the balloon is either changed or removed."  He also spoke about Gastric Placation and explained that it can become one of the relatively safe methods for weight reduction.

 

Dr. Tarek Mohammed Sherif, Specialist General Surgeon, spoke about Gastric Bypass.  He pointed out the technique of operation, being one of the most powerful tools of Bariatric Surgery, albeit more demanding with regards to the post-operative care and supplementation of vitamins.  He also explained the details of early and late dietary modification after this procedure.