KEY POINTS:
An increase in obesity surgery which would cost taxpayers $47 million over three years is being considered by the Ministry of Health.
The scheme to operate on more than 900 morbidly obese people has been given provisional approval by district health boards (DHBs), the Weekend Herald reported.
People with a body mass index above 40, or above 35 if they had significant illnesses such as diabetes, would be considered for treatment.
The plan would cost $17 million in the first year and about $15 million in the next two years.
It was estimated in an assessment for the ministry that the surgery, which costs between $15,000 and $25,000, would be a long-term cost saver, "with a payback time of around eight years post-surgery".
North Shore Hospital surgeon Michael Booth said the surgery was life-changing for most who had it, though poor eating and exercise or a slipped or eroded band meant that it failed in 40-50 per cent of gastric-band cases.
He said only those already motivated to lose weight through diet and exercise should have the surgery.
The idea of taxpayer-funded obesity surgery did not find universal support in a survey of 400 people commissioned by health boards.
Of those surveyed, 61 per cent thought it should be taxpayer-funded, while 35 per cent disagreed. Seventeen per cent strongly agreed, while 20 per cent were strongly opposed.
The ministry and DHBs have yet to make final decisions. A spokesman for Health Minister Tony Ryall said it would need his approval only if DHBs did not want to fund the surgery from current budgets.
More than 200,000 New Zealanders are estimated to be obese. The mortality risk for the morbidly obese is double that of lean people, while obesity increases risks of contracting conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
- NZPA
