Arun Jaitley undergoes diabetes management surgery

Finance minister Arun Jaitley underwent on Tuesday a planned diabetes management surgery at a private hospital here and was recovering well.

Union finance and defence minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday underwent a surgery for ‘diabetes management’ at a city hospital. Jaitley, 61, underwent bariatric surgery, which is commonly known as weight-loss surgery, at a private hospital in Saket.

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“He is overweight and has had been suffering from uncontrolled blood glucose levels, lately, for which this surgery is the best known cure. In 92% cases it has worked successfully,” said Dr Pradeep Chowbey, director –institute of minimal access, metabolic and bariatric surgery at Max Healthcare.

Bariatric surgery is done not only to control morbid obesity, but also to cure co-morbid conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, sleep-related disorders etc.

Chowbey led the five-member team that performed the gastric bypass surgery, wherein a small pouch is made in the stomach and a route is created for the food to reach directly to the small intestines, resulting in minimal calorie and nutrients absorption.

“The person is able to eat just about one-third of the usual amount of food, and overeating results in vomiting. In a diabetic patient, the food goes directly into the intestine and stimulates insulin. It cures the disease,” Chowbey said.

Jaitley is most likely to be discharged on Thursday.