African patients now heading to India for Bariatric Weight Loss Surgery

Nov. 15, 2012 - PRLog -- India has emerged as one of the most preferred destinations for providing excellent health care facilities to patients from all over the world. The availability of cutting edge technology and advanced treatment equipments at state-of-the art hospitals has made India a favored place for medical treatment as well as cosmetic surgery procedures. The proximity of African subcontinent to India has helped many people from Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Sudan and South Africa to procure treatment at world class hospitals in India.

Weight loss surgery (http://indicurecosmeticsurgery.com/surgery/weight-loss-surgery.htm) is one of the popular procedures many Africans choose to get done in India. There are a few significant reasons why people from many African countries come to India for weight loss surgery, for instance – specially negotiated prices with best bariatric surgeons, multidisciplinary treatment approach, use of advanced equipments to perform weight loss surgery and affordable cost.

Considering the cost component, the cost of weight loss surgery in India is much cheaper than the cost of bariatric surgery in western countries like USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc. For instance a sleeve gastrectomy surgery in India costs approximately 12,000 GBP or 20,000 USD in UK whereas in India, the cost of vertical sleeve gastrectomy is as less as 6000 USD. Likewise, a laparoscopic gastric band surgery in USA ranges between $17,000 to $30,000 whereas the same procedure in India costs only 6,000 USD. Therefore cost is one of the significant factors why many Africans come to India in huge numbers to avail weight loss surgery.

The two main weight loss procedures available at best hospitals in India are:

Restrictive Weight Loss Procedures

Restrictive mechanism of weight reduction works by making stomach smaller. With smaller stomach one feels fuller soon and less hunger. This makes a person eat less food and quickly lose weight. The surgery is done by making small incisions using a camera guide known as laparoscope.

A restrictive weight loss surgery entails removal of more than half of the stomach leaving a vertical sleeve. The surgical staples on the stomach are then closed.  

The commonly done restrictive weight loss procedures in India are:

·         Laparoscopic Gastric Band Surgery (http://www.indicure.com/weight-loss-surgery/laparoscopic-...)

An adjustable gastric band reduces the amount of food intake by altering the anatomy of the stomach. A lap band surgery involves placing an inflatable silicone band at the top portion of the stomach resulting in less food intake and promoting weight loss.

The two commonly used gastric bands are: Lap band and realize band

·         Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy

The surgery works by limiting the amount of food stomach can accept. There are two efficient mechanisms with which a vertical sleeve gastrectomy works – (a) It makes the stomach smaller so that a patient feels fuller soon (b) the surgery helps in taking out the portion of the stomach secreting hormone ghrelin, this reduces the calorie intake which leads to effective weight loss.

Mal-absorptive Weight Loss Procedures

Mal-absorptive weight loss surgery works by altering the digestion thereby causing the food to be properly digested and the food is left unabsorbed and eliminated in the stool.

·         Bilio-pancreatic diversion – A bilio-pancreatic diversion is a complicated weight loss procedure in which the lower part of the stomach is removed and the left part of the stomach is connected to the last part of the small intestine. The food bypasses a larger section of small intestine than Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. Another variation of BPD is duodenal switch which retains a part of the stomach including the valve that controls release of food in small intestine. A small portion of duodenum is also retained in the surgery.


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Combined Restrictive and Malabsorptive Procedures

·         Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery (http://www.indicure.com/weight-loss-surgery/laparoscopic-...) – Roux-en-Y Gastric bypass surgery works by combining restrictive and malabsorptive components. It involves stapling the stomach into two sections, the top portion becoming a small pouch that works as a new stomach. This new part restricts the food intake and makes a person feels fuller soon. The lower section no longer stores or mixes food and remains functional by continuing to secrete digestive juices.

Conclusively, be it the affordable cost of the surgery or excellence of bariatric surgeons or technology, India is one of the most preferred places for bariatric weight loss surgery across the globe. IndiCure is one of the best medical tourism companies that provide excellent health care facilities to people looking for quality and affordable weight loss surgery in India. For more information about weight loss surgery in India, visit - http://indicure.com.ng/weight_loss_surgery/weight_loss_surgery_in_india.htm or http://indicurecosmeticsurgery.com/surgery/weight-loss-surgery.htm