HELPING HANDS MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Two surgeons step in to offer Iraqi man surgery he was unable to pay for himself,
ABU DHABI // Two surgeons came to the rescue after reading about a young Iraqi man who could not afford desperately needed weightloss surgery. On November 26, The National and Dar Al Ber Society told the story of the 24- year- old man, who weighed 180 kilograms.
His parents feared for his future because his obesity had caused him health problems.
Their son dropped out of university and isolated himself because he was ashamed of his weight and had become sick. The American SurgeCentre offered to do the operation that would change his life, his family says, and the young man has already lost 10kg.
“He is a different person,” his father says. “His personality has completely changed and he is back – the cheerful, ambitious son that I know.
“We could never have imagined that this would happen. We can’t offer much but our prayers and gratitude to everyone who has helped to save our son.” Dr Patrick Noel and Dr Iman Eddbali, the two surgeons, met the patient and his family in December for a consultation. On January 8, they performed a 20-minute operation for a gastric sleeve at NMC Royal Hospital.
Gastric sleeve surgery costs up to Dh40,000 and normally takes between 45 minutes and an hour. “We owe the success of the operation to the excellent and experienced team we had on board,” Dr Noel says.
Dr Noel, who is also head of the department of bariatric surgery at American SurgeCentre, has developed a specific technique for bariatric surgery that involves fewer incisions and takes less time.
The day after the operation the young man was fully recovered and ready to go home, where he is on a special diet, his father says. “He only has soup and clear liquids. We are really careful and doctors have given him a special diet to follow.”
The centre has also covered the costs of his medication and follow-up appointments.
“The operation is 50 per cent and follow-up is the other 50 per cent,” Dr Eddbali says. “Even if you have the perfect surgery, if you don’t follow up you could have complications and poor weight-loss results.”
This was the first time the centre had taken part in such an initiative, and the two surgeons said it was an enlightenment. “When we read and saw how much other private centres were charging him we were honestly upset,” Dr Eddbali says. “He shouldn’t be charged anything. He was physically ill because of his weight and he couldn’t afford the costs. At the time, we were also looking for ways to give back to the community. This was an opportunity for us to make an impact and give back.”
The medical centre’s bariatric department has been open for two years.
To date, 87 per cent of their patients who have had bariatric surgery have lost at least 50 per cent of their excess weight.
The centre performs an average of 20 operations a month.