Insurance must cover bariatric surgery

Weight-loss surgeries should be covered by insurnce, a reader says. Other topics: tobacco tax, lifestyle

A reader says weight-loss surgery should be covered by all insurance companies. Rick Wilking / Reuters

In the article Insurers should cover weight-loss surgery, UAE doctors say (February 9), Dr Abdelrahman Nimeri mentions one study focusing on sleeve gastrectomy. However, this is not the gold standard surgery for treatment of diabetes.

Though it can and does help, relapse and weight gain are common with that surgery. Gastric bypass, however, are known to be much more effective in the long term for sending diabetes into remission and maintaining weight loss. None of these are covered by insurance companies regardless of demonstrated need.

I would like to call for the UAE health authorities to compel all insurance companies to pay for bariatric surgery, where a medical need is demonstrated with multiple co-morbidities; as is currently done for Emiratis with Thiqa and in the United States – as mentioned in the article.

Not only do doctors say that it should be covered, but the International Diabetes Federation has also stated that bariatric bypass surgery is a proven treatment for type 2 diabetes with a significant cure or remission rate and extremely low recidivism.

How does this compare to pharmaceutical treatment? How about the success rate of the weight loss and lifestyle change? How does that compare in terms of remission? For a middle-aged man over 45 BMI, the success rate over five years is something like one in 1,200.

Insurance companies are focused on the bottom line and concerned about rising rates of obesity; they know that lifestyle changes don’t work. By shifting the blame to the patient, they can avoid their responsibility to provide coverage.

D Glass, Dubai

Your story 'Lethal' Botox injections for weight-loss being offered in UAE clinics (February 10), reminded me that just two weeks ago a reputable gastroenterology medical centre in Dubai offered this to me.

I found it weird because I went for stomach pain only. I thought the doctor was overselling.

Now I know he was selling a harmful unapproved procedure. Beware of these things when you visit clinics.

Samira Fleurant, Dubai

Botox has helped many people and gave them a second chance to live a healthy life.

It’s true that they do not work on some people, but there are many who are enjoying their newfound lives after undergoing these procedures.

Rania Soued Dubai

Pay attention to lifestyle

Being morbidly obese can prove life-threatening (Man weighing 300kg lifted out of Sharjah apartment, February 8).

Thus, measures, such as adopting a healthy lifestyle, ditching sugary items and exercising should be taken earlier than reaching this far, where an individual is rendered unable to move and bedridden. I hope this man makes a speedy recovery.

Fatima Suhail, Sharjah

Tobacco should be banned

Your explainer Does tobacco tax actually work? (February 10) was topical. But I think if the authorities wanted people to quit smoking, they could just ban tobacco products.

This is just another way to justify taking money from people. Tobacco products are hardly a burden on the economy.

Logan Dela F, Dubai

A heavy tobacco tax can easily compel many youngsters to stop smoking. I am not sure whether it’s as effective for older people and long-time smokers.

Abdalla Ali, Abu Dhabi