Bariatric surgery cost or price

1. Bariatric surgery cost/price

2. One of the biggest deterrent for patients to get bariatric surgery done has been its high cost. Bariatric surgery requires a specialized infrastructure. Any Best bariatric surgery center, needs to have beds, chairs, wheelchairs and stretchers that can bear the high weight of patients. A good center also needs a high-end operation theatre table on which the surgery is conducted. These tables are specialized for bariatric surgerypatients. A good anesthesia machine and ICU back up is also needed. Not all hospitals have these facilities on a regular basis. facilities on a regular basis.

4. The other reason why surgery is expensive is due to the additional cost of disposable consumables that are used in this surgery. The cost of staplers, disposable trocars, implants like bands etc alongwith the energy device gets added to the cost of this surgery. Obese patients are prone to venous thrombo-embolism and also are high risk candidates for anesthesia. This equipment helps to make the surgery safer and quicker for the patients. The other barrier that patients face is lack of insurance coverage for this surgery. Bariatric surgery has now been approved as a “gastro-intestinal surgery” by the medical council of India (MCI). It is not classified as a “cosmetic surgery” anymore by the MCI. Central government employees can claim the expense of bariatric surgery under the CGHS scheme. Certain insurance companies like Star Health also approve bariatric surgery but with pre-specified conditions.

6. Nowadays, many other finance companies also give the facility of medical loans to patients. If the due paper work is in place, patients can get the benefit of taking a medical loan and paying the bills in smaller affordable monthly EMIs. There are many companies which provide this facility- Bajaj finance, Aarogya health, Digit zero etc are a few of these. The interest rates and required paper work may vary from company to company.This forms a good option for patients who do not want to pay a lump sum at one go. Even otherwise the cost of bariatric surgery has decreased in the last few years. There has been a conscious effort from hospitals and surgeons alike to make this surgery more affordable so that common people can derive the benefits. The other point that I would like to bring out is that the cost of not getting bariatric surgery done is much higher than getting operated. When we talk about not getting surgery done, we are looking at a long term accumulated cost of treatment of various obesity related co-morbidities such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, infertility, sleep apnoea, so on and so forth. We all know that a significant percentage of chronic diabetics develop complications like neuropathy, kidney disease, heart disease, infections etc. Add to this the cost of dialysis, angiographies, kidney transplants, limb amputations etc.

8. Hence it is important to look at the larger picture. Not getting Bariatric Surgery in Mumbaidone is certainly costlier than getting it done. The price of obesity that patients pay is not only financial but also emotional. We also need to look at the broader picture about loss of productive work and cost to the state and the country.Till insurance companies start covering bariatric surgery, non-affording patients must give a serious thoughtto EMI options and not delay their treatment. Like any other chronic disease, obesity is also a progressive disease leading to irreversible changes in the body.