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Bariatric Surgery: What Was It Like As A Pioneer? - Dr. Fobi (VIDEO)

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More Videos from Dr. Mathias Fobi 26 videos in this series

Bariatric Surgery: What Was It Like As A Pioneer? - Dr. Fobi (VIDEO)
Bariatric Surgery: What Was It Like As A Pioneer? - Dr. Fobi (VIDEO)
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Dr. Mathias Fobi describes what it is like to be a bariatric surgery pioneer in the early stages of the procedure.

Dr. Fobi:
I would say I have a fantastic sense of gratification to have been one of the pioneers in the field, to have been in the field which was disrespected, to work hard and persist in the field to make it become accepted and questionable and then now to have it as one of the prominent fields in the field. It gives me a great sense of satisfaction.

The meetings we had in Iowa back in 1978, when I went to the first meeting there were 58 of us. Now, when you go to the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the last meeting we just had in Dallas had 3100 people at the meeting, and when you go worldwide, as I travel to introduce this surgery in different parts of the world, for instance, I am the father of bariatric surgery in Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico because these are countries where I traveled to introduce bariatric surgery.

I was in Isreal back in 1987 to present work on bariatric surgery. I have been to London, Paris, I have traveled to India and Japan and so, I have a fantastic sense of accomplishment. When I leave to today I know I have left a legacy and I have a satisfaction to see the number of people benefiting from the work that we have done in terms of bringing a field, which was in dire need for treatment because obesity is recalcitrant. That means it is difficult to treat.

When you treat patients who are obese with non-surgical treatment it’s success rate is less than two percent, whereas with surgery we are looking at success rate of 60-90%, which is fantastic, and to have had this accepted and now being practiced worldwide is fantastic.

When I started doing this surgery, the insurance companies did not cover for this surgery. Now the insurance companies cover for this surgery. The Medicare covers for it, Medicaid covers for it, but what is interesting is we are still operating on less than two percent of the people who need this surgery. So there’s still a long way to go.

Dr. Mathias A.L. Fobi, M.D., F.A.C.S.:
Dr. Mathias A.L. Fobi, is an internationally recognized bariatric surgeon, who has changed the shape of Hollywood heavyweights such as Etta James and American Idol’s Randy Jackson. MAL, as he is known among friends, was born in Nkwen, a small village in Cameroon, West Africa. He is a member of the first batch, class of 1965, 0f Sacred Heart College in Mankon Bamenda in Cameroon. He came to the USA through the African Scholarship Program for American Universities (ASPAU) in 1966. This was a scholarship program that was inaugurated by President Kennedy along with the Peace Corps Program.

Keywords:
Condition: Obesity, Morbid Obesity, Weight Loss, Morbidly Obese

Related Terms: StomaphyX™, Weight Loss, Bariatric Surgery, LAP-BAND®, Laparoscopic Gastric Banding, Gastric Sleeve, Revisional Bariatric Surgery, Nutrition, Overweight, BMI, Body Mass Index, Decreased Mobility, Comorbidities, Diabetes, Hypertension, REALIZE®, GERD, Bariatric Seminars, REALIZE® Band, Minimally Invasive Bariatric Surgery, StomaphyX™

Expert: Dr. Mathias A.L. Fobi, Mathias A. L. Fobi, M.D., Dr. Fobi, Doctor Fobi, Bariatric Surgeon Dr. Fobi

Expertise: Incisionless Bariatric Surgery, Bariatric Surgery, LAP-BAND®, Laparoscopic Gastric Banding, Gastric Sleeve, Revisional Bariatric Surgery, Sleeve Gastrectomy, Fobi Pouch

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