Paris (AFP)

The surgery of obesity, whose frequency has tripled in ten years, will be "better supervised and secure," said Tuesday the Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn, which intends including ensuring better follow-up of patients.

As early as next year, hospitals will be subject to "authorization" to practice bariatric surgery, "on the basis of thresholds of activity and commitment to meet criteria for quality care, including in terms of patient follow-up, "the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

Bariatric surgery consists, by various techniques ("sleeve", "bypass" and gastric band in particular) to modify the anatomy of the digestive system to restrict the absorption of food and thus reduce the caloric intake of people suffering from severe obesity .

"Each patient should benefit from an assessment of his case in a multidisciplinary consultation meeting to be offered the most appropriate treatment given his medical record," he added.

Bariatric surgery has tripled in 10 years, from 20,000 to more than 60,000 per year, making France one of the European countries where this practice is the most common.

But "complications can occur for nearly one in four patients for certain types of operations: digestive complications, risks related to the loss of muscle mass but also comorbidities such as nutritional deficiencies or psychological difficulties," said the Ministry .

In order to make use of this practice available to patients who really need it and to minimize the associated risks, the health authorities intend to apply "graduated course logic, offering the right care at the right time".

They also want to decompartmentalize and better coordinate the path of obese patients between city and hospital medicine and between different health professionals, "from the identification and to the treatment of complications".

The 37 centers specializing in obesity (CSO) will be responsible for managing these care pathways and spreading good practices in the management of this complex chronic disease.

CSOs will in particular "develop therapeutic education programs, to make the patient actor in his care," said the ministry.

This roadmap for the management of obesity was announced by Agnès Buzyn on the occasion of the Regional Day of Obesity Ile-de-France, organized by the four Paris CSOs.

© 2019 AFP