Bariatric Surgery a Cost-Effective Approach: Says A Recent Study
Its natural that patients consider many factors before deciding to opt for the bariatric surgery route for weight loss.
One key factor is financial.
Cost of surgery includes a package of surgeon fee, other clinician fees, consumables, OT charges, room rent, medications, supplements, time away from work recovery period of about a week etc.
Thus, the question begs itself – Is bariatric surgery a financially viable option?
And, the answer is a resounding – Yes!
A recent study* carried out, which is among many such studies, analysed the cost-effectiveness of bariatric surgery as compared to the conventional approach of managing obesity and its co-morbidities through medication and lifestyle management.
The study took into consideration the cost of surgery, nutritional supplements, follow-up care and costs arising from any surgical complications.
The study concluded that bariatric surgery resulted in savings of around Rs 7.5 lacs (9332 Euros) over a lifetime!
In addition, an analysis of the data showed that bariatric surgery patients had 5 more quality adjusted life-years (QALYs) as compared to patients treated through the conventional medical approach.
Thus, when looked at over a period of 10 years, bariatric surgery proved to be more cost-effective. Secondly when compared for a lifetime, it was dominantly a more financially wise decision.
It is also important to keep in mind that bariatric surgery leads to remission of diabetes in majority of the cases and also has a positive effect on blood pressure, cardiovascular health and other health issues.
These are all comorbidities associated with obesity and require medical intervention in the form of consultations, drugs, frequent hospitalization and treatment for life.
Bariatric surgery involves a one-time costly procedure but when compared with the lifetime annual medical expenses incurred for those suffering from Type-2 diabetes and other obesity-related comorbidities, it proves to be a more cost-effective approach.
Hence, what are you waiting for? For a detailed consultation to find if you qualify for Bariatric surgery, please call +91 98210 32169 and ask for an appointment with Dr Abhay Agrawal. Patients with a BMI of 30 and above will get a free consultation on phone for 15 minutes.
*https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13696998.2017.1419958
