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Province should fund life-saving surgery: ex-patient

By: Larry Kusch

Posted: 02/26/2010 7:10 PM | Comments: 0 (including replies) | Last Modified: 09/17/2010 9:26 AM

DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

Glenn Ferguson has lost 119 pounds since undergoing Lap-Band surgery a year ago.

Glenn Ferguson has shed 119 pounds in the past 12 months, thanks to a medical procedure he says should be covered by Manitoba Health.

"It saved my life," the Winnipeg letter carrier said Thursday, referring to Lap-Band weight loss stomach surgery, a procedure that can be done right here in the city.

"I was destined to die of a heart attack. My mom died at 62, my dad died at 43. I'm now 44."

Ferguson had the minimally invasive procedure done at Maples Surgical Centre, a private health facility. It cost him close to $18,000 for the surgery and follow-up care. Manitoba Health won't pay for the surgery, but will pay to send patients outside the province for gastric bypass surgery -- an invasive operation to staple the stomach. Waiting times can take years.

Ferguson, who a year ago tipped the scales at 341 pounds, was unwilling to wait that long or to undergo what he saw as a more risky procedure.

He suffered from sleep apnea, a sleeping disorder often connected to morbid obesity, and was miserable.

"I was so sleep deprived that I actually went to St. Boniface emergency and begged them to stick a tube in my mouth to breathe for me while I slept," he recalled. "They thought I was off my rocker."

Ferguson said he is now feeling much better and misses far less time at work. He works out at the gym and has a personal trainer.

Officials with the Maples Surgical Centre were not available for comment Thursday. But in an earlier interview, Dr. Chris Andrew, a surgeon who performs the Lap-Band surgery, said he doesn't understand why the province won't pay for it, since research shows the cost is recouped by the health-care system within five years.

Ferguson said it angers him when he sees the province spend money on what he considers to be non-essential items, while it won't cover a medical treatment that he believes will save his life.

A government spokesman said Thursday adding Lap-Band surgery as an insured service is "under consideration." He said the province will pay some costs related to having the surgery performed out of province. But the device used is not insured in Manitoba, and the government does not have an agreement with the Maples Surgical Centre to perform the procedure.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

Ring cuts food intake

What is the Lap-Band surgical procedure?

It is a relatively non-invasive surgery in which a saline-filled silicone ring is placed around the upper part of the stomach. The ring reduces the stomach's capacity, restricting food intake. Proponents say it is far less invasive than other procedures that cut or staple the stomach or involve gastrointestinal re-routing.

How much does it cost? Between $16,800 and $17,762 at the Maples Surgical Centre in Winnipeg.

Is it covered by Manitoba Health? Not at this time, although the province has been considering it for years.

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