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Professional negligence claims rise for weight surgery

Published on 21 Jan 2010 under category: legal

Professional negligence claims have rocketed with the popularity of drastic weight loss surgery, according to new figures.

The Medical Defence Union (MDU), the body that advises medical professionals on negligence, has reported 21 cases in the past two years relating to gastric band fitting.

An increasing number of severely obese patients have opted to pay for the measure, which involves fitting a stomach-shrinking band to tackle over eating.

MDU claims that cases of up to £500,000 are being made for post-operative cases where bands slipped or failed to inflate.

Claimants have also said that advice on procedures and implications of surgery was often unavailable in private health centres.

The Royal College of Surgeons today attacked the 'postcode lottery' which makes many patients ineligible for NHS treatment and forces them to seek out private treatment costing on average £5,000 instead.

Experts at the college also argued that it is the most cost-effective way of surgery and that it was "unethical" to deny it to chronically ill patients.

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