NHS forks out £125million on 18,000 weight loss operations for the morbidly obese
The gut-buster operations were conducted on adults and children whose lives were seriously at risk
HEALTH chiefs have spent more than £125million on weight loss surgery for 18,000 obese patients in the past three years.
The operations were conducted on adults and children whose lives were seriously at risk after becoming dangerously overweight.
Figures revealed by a Freedom of Information request show the largest number, 5,305, took place in London — with the taxpayer forking out £39.7million. In the North East, a further 2,862 ops cost the NHS £21million.
More than 3,500 people had them in the Midlands and East of England with a price tag of £19.8million.
Tam Fry of the National Obesity Council said: “These figures show only a fraction of the people who should be getting weight loss surgery. Britain is getting fatter and fatter.”
The surgery involves controlling a patient’s appetite by reducing the size of their stomach and is conducted when other treatments, such as lifestyle changes, have failed.
Many follow a path taken by TV star Lisa Riley and have a gastric band fitted. It helped Lisa, 40, shed 7st.
One in four Brits is obese. A spokesman for NHS England said: “Obesity causes up to one in five cancer deaths and costs the NHS billions a year.
“So tough action to tackle obesity would both save thousands of lives and save taxpayers billions in future NHS costs.”