Denied weight-loss surgery because he is a man
A Wellington man was horrified to be told he would not get taxpayer-funded weight-loss surgery because he is a man.
Ron Blair, 68, who weighs 132 kilograms, was referred for the potentially life-saving operation by his heart specialist in July but turned down by Capital and Coast District Health Board, which began funding a handful of weight-loss operations two years ago.
In a letter to his specialist, surgeon Kusal Wickremesekera revealed that "as a male, [Mr Blair] falls outside our current guidelines for surgery" but his case could be reconsidered in future.
Mr Blair, a former chief cook on Cook Strait ferry Arahura, said he briefly contemplated a sex change. "In a fit of pique I dashed off a fax to [Health Minister] Tony Ryall asking him whether I'd qualify if I had a sex change. I've paid tax for over 40 years and believe I'm entitled to the stomach bypass surgery."
Capital and Coast said there was no gender bias. Director of surgery John Riordan said the board made the clinical decision to exclude more-complex patients initially (including males), as the two surgeons were still learning the procedure.
"The surgery is clinically more complex on men due to the way body fat is distributed [around the abdomen]."
Five patients got taxpayer-funded surgery through a private contract with Wakefield Hospital in 2007-08, four in 2008-09, and the board has budgeted for seven to have operations this year.
The board was taking referrals for both genders and patients previously turned down could be reconsidered, Dr Riordan said.
Wakefield Hospital specialist Richard Stubbs, who has been supervising the two public surgeons and helped select their patients, said gastric bypasses were highly dangerous.
A study in The New England Journal of Medicine found 2.1 deaths per 100 patients at 10 centres in the US.
"That's 10 times my rate I’ve had two deaths in about 1200 operations but it's very easy to get a death.”
Dr Stubbs said the wording of the letter which was not meant to be seen by the patient had been "unfortunate", but there were other more serious factors than his gender that ruled Mr Blair out for surgery. He suffers from ailments including breathlessness, heart disease, vascular disease, diabetes and obstructive sleep apnoea.
With 1000 Capital and Coast patients who could benefit from the operation, it made sense to do less-risky patients first, who had the best chance of surviving surgery.
Ron Blair, 68, who weighs 132 kilograms, was referred for the potentially life-saving operation by his heart specialist in July but turned down by Capital and Coast District Health Board, which began funding a handful of weight-loss operations two years ago.
In a letter to his specialist, surgeon Kusal Wickremesekera revealed that "as a male, [Mr Blair] falls outside our current guidelines for surgery" but his case could be reconsidered in future.
Mr Blair, a former chief cook on Cook Strait ferry Arahura, said he briefly contemplated a sex change. "In a fit of pique I dashed off a fax to [Health Minister] Tony Ryall asking him whether I'd qualify if I had a sex change. I've paid tax for over 40 years and believe I'm entitled to the stomach bypass surgery."
Capital and Coast said there was no gender bias. Director of surgery John Riordan said the board made the clinical decision to exclude more-complex patients initially (including males), as the two surgeons were still learning the procedure.
"The surgery is clinically more complex on men due to the way body fat is distributed [around the abdomen]."
Five patients got taxpayer-funded surgery through a private contract with Wakefield Hospital in 2007-08, four in 2008-09, and the board has budgeted for seven to have operations this year.
The board was taking referrals for both genders and patients previously turned down could be reconsidered, Dr Riordan said.
Wakefield Hospital specialist Richard Stubbs, who has been supervising the two public surgeons and helped select their patients, said gastric bypasses were highly dangerous.
A study in The New England Journal of Medicine found 2.1 deaths per 100 patients at 10 centres in the US.
"That's 10 times my rate I’ve had two deaths in about 1200 operations but it's very easy to get a death.”
Dr Stubbs said the wording of the letter which was not meant to be seen by the patient had been "unfortunate", but there were other more serious factors than his gender that ruled Mr Blair out for surgery. He suffers from ailments including breathlessness, heart disease, vascular disease, diabetes and obstructive sleep apnoea.
With 1000 Capital and Coast patients who could benefit from the operation, it made sense to do less-risky patients first, who had the best chance of surviving surgery.
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