Saudi Arabia witnessed an increase in the number of obesity patients during the past decade. (SPA)

A total of 1,500 obesity patients are on the waiting list of King Fahd General Hospital due to shortage of beds, a source in the Jeddah health department has said.

“The long waiting list of obesity patients is due to a lack of beds which are usually occupied by emergency patients,” the source was quoted as saying by a local publication on Sunday.

“The King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah carries out 800 to 900 operations per year, and is one of the biggest centers in Saudi Arabia. If beds are available and there is a sufficient number of anesthetists, the medical team can conduct up to 2,000 operations per year,” he said.

He said the huge pressure faced by the hospital is due delayed and partially operated north and east Jeddah hospitals. The number of patients in Jeddah is large and operational hospitals can’t serve all of them, he said.

Saudi Arabia witnessed an increase in the number of obesity patients during the past decade, he said, urging people to eat sensibly and exercise regularly.

Dr. Osama Feida, the head of the surgery department at King Fahd General Hospital, was quoted as saying that the waiting lists are rather long because of the large number of people suffering from obesity problem.

The King Fahd Hospital is among the few that are known to perform these surgeries, and the number of surgeries performed per week is between 15 to 20, he added.

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