General Healthcare Group Sees Weight Loss Procedures Rise By Over 30 Percent, UK

Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Article Date: 01 Apr 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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General Healthcare Group (GHG), the leading provider of independent health care services in the UK, has reported that the number of patients undergoing weight loss surgery at its BMI Healthcare hospitals increased by more than 30 percent in October 2008 through February 2009 compared to the same period in the previous financial year.

Weight loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, is a highly specialised field with approximately 48 highly accredited surgeons practicing at BMI Healthcare hospitals throughout the country.

Mr Duff Bruce, a consultant bariatric surgeon based at the BMI Albyn Hospital in Aberdeen and a member of BMI Healthcare's Bariatric Consultant Advisory Board says: "Due to a number of factors, there is no doubt we are experiencing an increase in the number of patients wanting to go through weight loss surgery. These factors include increased awareness of the health benefits of surgery as well as a change in the public's - and to some extent the medical profession's - perception.

There is a huge positive opportunity for many more people in the UK to benefit from weight loss surgery. However, it is also important to consider that undergoing bypass surgery or fitting a gastric band is not just a quick-fix stand-alone solution, but instead should be viewed as part of a holistic approach to changing many lifestyle elements which can deliver overall health benefits."

"As one of the first providers to establish a national weight loss surgery programme in the UK, BMI Healthcare has some of the country's most skilled and experienced bariatric surgeons practising at its hospitals," said Adrian Fawcett, chief executive of General Healthcare Group, of which BMI Healthcare is a subsidiary. "Unlike many other providers who set off regarding weight loss surgery as a cosmetic procedure, BMI Healthcare approaches it as a highly effective, long-lasting medical treatment for reducing the health problems caused by obesity. The hospitals' multi-disciplinary weight loss teams provide personal and comprehensive support for patients before, during and long after their procedures to ensure that patients are well-prepared to benefit from the physical and psychological impact of having surgery.

As the demand for bariatric procedures increases, GHG is committed to continually investing in the infrastructure of our BMI hospitals to ensure that our weight loss surgery patients receive the best possible care and health outcomes."

About General Healthcare Group

General Healthcare Group is the leading independent healthcare provider in the UK. Its primary businesses are:

- BMI Healthcare, the UK's premier private health care provider with acute care private patient hospitals and outpatient centres in 59 locations around the country and over 2,600 beds. Handling over 250,000 inpatient and one million outpatient visits each year, nearly half of the procedures undertaken for private patients are of a major or complex nature.

- Netcare UK, providing health care resources dedicated to NHS patients. Its facilities include mobile services for cataract procedures, a 45-bed, three-theatre unit in Manchester, a surgical centre in Stracathro and a walk-in centre in Leeds.

The Department of Health Service advise that the acceptable safe weight loss limit is 2Ibs a week.

Source
General Healthcare Group

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