Diabetics in Dubai can get stomach snipped for cure

Dubai: Dubai's main surgical public hospital will begin performing weight-loss surgery on diabetics in an effort to cure them.

Weight-loss or bariatric surgery, such as duodenal switch gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy and gastric banding, have been shown to cure about 60 per cent of cases of diabetes.

UAE health officials have been discussing implementing a policy on doing the surgery but discussions have been bogged down by disagreement on when to intervene. Having a policy in the UAE is significant as the country has the second highest global prevalence of diabetes, according to the International Diabetes Federation.

Dr Ali Reza Eqtedari, general surgeon at Rashid Hospital, told Gulf News the programme would start earliest by next month.

"We will do the surgery with diabetologists; probably starting in March or April," he said.

He added there were "plenty" of candidates for the procedure, but declined to give a number.

Not all diabetics can qualify for the programme. Under the hospital's policy and that of the Dubai Department of Health and Medical Services (Dohms), only those who are obese to moderately obese with uncontrolled diabetes can have the surgery.

Diabetics whose body-mass index (BMI) falls under 35 will not be accepted for surgery. The minimum for patients without diabetes is a BMI of 40.

Dr Eqtedari said the strict requirement was to ensure patient safety.

"No centre should being doing the surgery on diabetics with normal weight, or [who are] slightly overweight," he said.

"It is a very hazardous surgery and we will fight if people want to do it for normal weight diabetics," he added, saying the surgery's malabsorption effects and malnutrition risks would not benefit diabetics of normal weight or who are slightly overweight.

He also said whoever underwent the procedure under the surgical diabetes programme would have to participate in a long-term randomised study, which would track their progress after the procedure.

"We must follow up, [we] cannot just operate and forget about them," he said.