Obesity surgery cost could hit €6m a year

SURGERIES for morbidly obese people here could cost the public almost €6 million every 12 months within the next decade, it has been claimed.

Trade publication Irish Medical Times has reported that the major expense could become a reality by 2019 due to the need to meet a rising demand for weight-loss procedures across the country.

Capacity restrictions at Ireland’s public obesity clinic at St Columcille’s Hospital in Loughlinstown mean that only 100 weight reduction operations take place every year. The most common procedures, such as gastric bypass and gastric band operations, cost an average of €12,000 and €13,000 respectively to carry out in the private sector, resulting in a total public and private cost of €1.2m.