Eman Ahmed Abd El Aty’s case is generating as much interest in Egypt, her country, as in India. Healthpost spoke to Professor Mohamed Ali Lasheen , a well –known bariatric  surgeon at Ain Shams University, Cairo, about Eman,  the growing obesity problem in Egypt and weight loss surgery in the two countries. Excerpts of the interview:   

What is the general feeling like among bariatric surgeons in Egypt about the Eman’s case?

Eman’s is a well-known case here. Actually, we sent a team to meet her when she was here in Alexendria, a couple of weeks before she flew to India. In fact there were arrangements to transfer her to Ain Shams University with the help of Egyptian army. We offered to perform the surgery here, but her family chose to go to India for it. Nowadays,  the media is talking a lot about Eman’s case. We hear that she might come back to  Egypt for further treatment. 

Is obesity a big problem in Egypt and, if so, why? 

Obesity is a big problem in Egypt. We have large number of obese people  because of the wrong food habits. Also people are negligent about doing physical activities and sports daily. We are trying to raise awareness about the importance of right food habits and sports in young children and women. We hope to reduce the number of obese people in near future. 

How challenging is the job of a bariatric surgeon in Egypt?  
Bariatric surgery is one of the evolving branches of surgery in Egypt. There are large number obese people in Egypt, and there are also a large number of bariatric surgeons here, a lot of them quite eminent names. In fact, there are a number of prestigious institutes offering training programmes in bariatric surgery. At our institute, we have a special unit for bariatric surgery, where we perform  only bariatric surgeries. We get around 1000 case every year. We publish a lot of papers in international magazines. When I started 10 years ago, it was difficult, young doctors used to travel to England, France and Italy for training in bariatric surgery but now these courses are available in Egypt.

Eman’s sister in India has accused doctors of lying and expressed her dissatisfaction over the treatment? What do you have to say?

Yes, I have read that she is dissatisfied from some aspects of the treatment. I have also read doctors’ version in India. People here are confused, we don’t know what is the truth, what actually has happened. What is important is for us is Eman becomes healthy. 

How popular is the bariatric surgery in Egypt? 
In the last three years, bariatric surgery has become one of the popular branches of surgery because of the large number of obese people. Egypt is a preferred destination for bariatric surgery for people from many Arabian countries, some also come from Europe and America. We have presented papers in international conferences, and built a body of research because of the large number of surgeries we perform in Egypt.

What is the general opinion of India healthcare system in Egypt?  
I don’t know much about India’s healthcare system, but a lot of bariatric surgeons in India are my Facebook friends. We also meet in international conferences. I know that in India, as in Egypt, there are number of super bariatric surgeons.