Over 200 individuals received surgical treatment for morbid obesity in public hospitals throughout 2024, with the total cost reaching nearly €3.2 million, according to newly released figures.
These surgeries, averaging more than €15,200 each, aim to promote weight loss by either modifying the digestive process surgically or by decreasing the stomach’s capacity, reports Breaking News.
Some patients had gastric bypass procedures, which reroute food past sections of the stomach and small intestine to reduce calorie absorption.
Others received gastric banding, where a band is positioned around the upper stomach to limit its size, helping patients feel satisfied with smaller portions of food, reports Breaking News.
The interventions, grouped under the term bariatric surgery, also involve placing gastric balloons that are inflated inside the stomach to occupy space and restrict food intake volume.
Data obtained from the Health Service Executive (HSE) through the Freedom of Information Act indicate that 208 patients underwent bariatric surgery in public hospitals in 2024, costing €3,163,243 in total, reports Breaking News.
The operations are performed almost entirely at University Hospital Galway (UHG) and St. Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin.
Related services are additionally available at the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital in Cork, reports Breaking News.
Ireland ranks among the countries with the highest obesity rates in Europe, as stated on the HSE website, where 60 per cent of adults and one in five children or young people are classified as overweight or obese.
Eligibility for weight-loss surgery requires meeting specific criteria, including a BMI (body mass index) exceeding 40, though those with slightly lower BMIs may qualify if they have accompanying health issues, reports Breaking News.
“While a definite clinical need exists for those with chronic obesity, bariatric surgery is only required for the minority of obese patients – two percent of the population,” according to the HSE.
“The vast majority of these patients require clinical treatment that is both hospital- and community-based as indicated by the HSE-ICGP Weight Management Treatment Algorithm, the clinical care pathway utilised by healthcare professionals.”, reports Breaking News.
Patients are generally expected to have attempted lifestyle modifications and used weight-loss medications prior to being considered for bariatric surgery.
Individuals who successfully finish a weight-management programme may be referred to one of the participating hospitals for further assessment.
However, a patient can be considered unsuitable for bariatric surgery if the medical team identifies “contra indications” during the weight-management programme, reports Breaking News.
In such cases, they may instead be referred for a period of inpatient weight management, subject to bed availability.
The number of individuals who received surgery for morbid obesity in 2024 showed a 35 per cent decrease compared to the previous year, although the overall cost of the procedures dropped by less than 10 per cent, reports Breaking News.
In 2023, 320 patients underwent bariatric surgery at a total cost of nearly €3.5 million. This figure was almost double the 171 patients who had the procedure for morbid obesity in 2022, when the cost stood at €1.8 million, reports Breaking News.
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