Deputy Minister of Health: Obesity Treatment Requires Integration of Medical Specialties and Modern Technologies
Press coverage 2 newspapers covered this event: Al-Rai · Al-Seyassah →
The Deputy Minister of Health emphasized the importance of integrating surgery and medication in treating obesity, noting the rising rate in Kuwait.
Translated by Qiyas from السياسة — Original source
- Modern medications offer new options for patients alongside surgery
- Al-Kuroof: 75% of Kuwait’s population suffers from overweight or obesity
Deputy Minister of Health Sheikh Dr. Salman Khalifa Al-Sabah stressed on Monday the importance of leveraging the latest medical technologies and pharmacological treatments to achieve the highest safety standards in treating obesity patients, emphasizing the necessity of adopting a comprehensive treatment plan that is not limited to surgical intervention.
This came during a speech he delivered at the opening of the Fourth Kuwait Obesity Conference, held under the theme “Recent Medical and Surgical Advances in Obesity Treatment,” and lasting two days. The event features participation from a select group of surgeons, physicians, nutritionists, mental health specialists, and family medicine experts from within Kuwait and abroad.
Sheikh Dr. Salman Al-Sabah clarified that obesity treatment does not begin in the operating room nor end upon discharge; rather, it starts with a precise and comprehensive assessment of the patient’s condition, leading to the selection of the most appropriate treatment and long-term follow-up.
He noted that bariatric surgeries represent an important therapeutic option for cases requiring surgical intervention, while modern pharmacological treatments, particularly those based on the GLP-1 pathway, provide new options within a comprehensive plan that includes medical follow-up, nutrition, and physical activity, with a focus on patient safety and sustained improvement.
He pointed out that estimates from the World Health Organization reveal the scale of the challenge, noting that one in seven people worldwide suffers from obesity, with approximately 940 million adults affected, representing nearly 16% of the global adult population.
He expressed his appreciation for the conference chairman, organizing committees, and staff, commending their efforts in organizing this scientific forum, which discusses recent medical and surgical advances, training on the use of modern surgical staplers, safe medication usage, obesity surgery standards, and guidelines for prescribing treatments.
For his part, Conference Chairman Dr. Shihab Al-Kuroof emphasized that obesity treatment is a shared responsibility requiring the integration of various medical specialties, including nutrition, internal medicine, family medicine, mental health, and surgery.
He explained that the Nutrition and Feeding Department has a monitoring program that issues an annual report indicating that approximately 75% of Kuwait’s population suffers from overweight and obesity, with the rate standing at 30% among men and 35% among women.
Al-Kuroof proposed launching a national campaign through the unified government electronic services application “Sahel” to accurately collect height and weight data, calculate Body Mass Index (BMI), and distribute the results geographically. This would contribute to redrawing the map of primary healthcare centers and specialized clinics, thereby reducing expected future financial burdens.
He praised the pioneering role of Deputy Minister of Health Sheikh Dr. Salman Al-Sabah in establishing the first national registry for bariatric surgery cases in 2018, during his presidency of the Kuwait Surgical Society, which has since become a reference for scientific research and government hospitals.
