A 44-year-old Taiwanese man weighing 300kg was admitted to a hospital in Greater Kaohsiung yesterday for obesity treatment, which doctors hope can help him shed two-thirds of his weight.
The bedridden Pingtung County resident surnamed Li (李) was carried into E-Da Hospital by several workers.
Li told reporters that he hoped the treatment would begin as soon as possible and help reduce his weight to below 100kg.
Photo: CNA
Huang Chih-kun (黃致錕), who is the head of the hospital’s Bariatric and Metabolic International Surgery Center, said that the patient would first need to reduce some of his weight with diet control before undergoing a bariatric procedure to remove a portion of his stomach and redirect his small intestine.
If the weight-loss effort is successful, plastic surgery will be performed on Li to remove his excess skin, Huang said.
The entire treatment is expected to take three years, at an estimated cost of NT$1 million (US$32,700), Huang said.
According to the hospital, Li eats three times more than people of average weight and has been obese since childhood, with his weight already exceeding 100kg in his teen years.
Li lost his ability to walk after breaking his left leg two years ago, which further accelerated his weight gain, the hospital said.
To prepare for Li’s treatment, the hospital has bought larger clothing and a special bed with a maximum load capacity of 400kg.
It has also launched a fundraising campaign to cover Li’s medical costs, which is not fully covered by the National Health Insurance Program.
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