Lyudmila Stebenkova, a member of the Moscow City Duma Commission on Healthcare and Public Health, told Moscow 24 how obese residents of the capital can undergo a free operation to lose weight. Earlier, the media reported that in the Sverdlovsk region they began to conduct free bariatric surgeries for people who want to lose weight. If you have a compulsory medical insurance policy, the patient only needs to pay for preoperative examinations and hospital stay. Among the indications for surgery, in particular, a body mass index of more than 50. The deputy of the Moscow City Duma explained that in the capital one of the centers that deals with this issue is the National Medical Research Center of Endocrinology of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. "Overweight people have big health problems. Because their fatty layer begins to play the role of an independent organ and lives a separate life with subsequent hormonal changes. The Institute of Endocrinology has developed a whole big ideology to resolve these issues," Stebenkova explained. She added that Muscovites suffering from overweight can go to their polyclinic, where a doctor who supervises them will give a referral for free treatment. Bariatric surgeon Vadim Fedenko explained to Moscow 24 that operations are performed according to quotas of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. "In order to receive a quota, a patient's body mass index must be more than 50, he must have type 2 diabetes mellitus. Complications of diabetes mellitus are also taken into account for making a decision. Then this person can be considered for surgery," the surgeon said. Earlier, the doctor and TV presenter Alexander Myasnikov said that the global "obesity epidemic" is much more dangerous than the coronavirus. According to him, almost 40% of the world's population suffers from overweight problems. This can lead to cancer, diabetes, strokes and heart attacks. Myasnikov noted that in 2020 more than 20 million people died due to complications associated with obesity.
