October 07, 2021 – 8:12 am
Dutch Obesity Clinic and various hospitals are going to perform 1,300 extra stomach operations
The Dutch Obesity Clinic (NOK), in collaboration with the LangeLand and Rivierenland hospitals, is expanding its treatment capacity for obesity patients by 1,300 operations. With this, the healthcare providers want to eliminate the backlogs that have arisen due to the corona pandemic. In addition to surgery, patients follow a lifestyle change program with a multidisciplinary approach. Furthermore, it is being investigated whether the surgical capacity for obesity patients is sufficient for the near future, because the demand for obesity treatments is 15 percent higher than before the corona pandemic. “Overweight people are much more at risk of a more serious course of a COVID-19 infection, which is why this step is very important,” said Kobus Dijkhorst, director of the NOK.
Due to the scaling down of regular care in the recent period, some of the gastric operations that are part of an obesity treatment program have also been postponed. At the same time, the need to tackle severe obesity has increased due to the coronavirus. Kobus Dijkhorst, director of NOK: “We are seeing a significant increase in the number of people with severe obesity who want to be treated, partly due to the corona pandemic. More and more people are aware that being overweight greatly increases the risk of serious complications from a corona infection. By creating additional treatment capacity, we want to quickly eliminate the backlog caused by COVID-19.”
Morbid obesity is a life-threatening condition that also increases the risk of other diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, mental health and joint disease. In order to continue obesity care during the pandemic, the NOK has adapted its working method by, for example, opening up telephone numbers, interactive webinars or Zoom sessions, to test whether people are eligible for the treatment and to inform them extensively.
Collaboration between regional general practitioners and health insurers
For the treatment of obesity, NOK works closely with regional general practitioners and health insurers. The clinic works with so-called multidisciplinary teams, consisting of psychologists, dieticians, exercise experts and doctors, who guide the patient towards a healthier lifestyle. During the treatment there is a lot of contact with fellow patients, so that patients have a lot of support from each other. After the treatment, many health problems disappear and the quality of life improves considerably. This specific approach is therefore very successful and the treatment is reimbursed by health insurers.
Since 1993, the NOK has been at the forefront of treating all forms of overweight and morbid obesity. Overweight and obesity have long been thought to be the result of an unhealthy lifestyle, but scientific research has confirmed that many more factors play a role, including genetics. Obesity is now recognized as a chronic disease, which in many cases causes multiple health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or joint pain. In addition, depression and social isolation are more common. In the Netherlands, more than 1.5% of people over 20 are morbidly obese, which means that almost 200,000 adults suffer from this serious form of obesity. In addition, there is a growing group of people who suffer from milder forms of overweight who are increasingly eligible for new types of treatments.
Source: Dutch Obesity Clinic
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Editorial Medicalfacts/ Janine Budding
I studied Physiotherapy and Health Care Business Administration. I have a lot of experience in various positions in the medical, pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. And have broad medical knowledge of most specialties in healthcare. I attend most of the leading medical conferences in Europe and America every year to keep my knowledge up-to-date and to keep up with the latest developments and innovations
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