Chandigarh: Dr. Amit Garg, Associate Director of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery, and Dr. Neeraj Garg, Senior Consultant in Endocrinology at Park Hospital, Mohali, highlighted the role of metabolic surgery in achieving long-term remission of Type 2 diabetes during a press conference on Thursday.
Park Hospitals is one of North India's largest super-specialty hospital networks, comprising 18 hospitals, over 4,160 beds, 900 ICU beds, 14 cath labs, 45 modular operation theaters, and more than 1,200 doctors.
Dr. Amit Garg stated, "India is witnessing an unprecedented rise in Type 2 diabetes cases, making it one of the country's biggest public health challenges. Current estimates indicate that over 101 million Indians are living with diabetes, while another 136 million are pre-diabetic. Diabetes leads to the hospitalization of millions of people annually and is a leading cause of premature death and disability."
Dr. Neeraj Garg emphasized that more than one in four Indian adults is either diabetic or pre-diabetic.
Explaining the severe consequences of uncontrolled diabetes, Dr. Garg added that the disease significantly increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney failure requiring dialysis, diabetic retinopathy (which can lead to blindness), nerve damage, diabetic foot ulcers, limb amputation, fatty liver, erectile dysfunction, recurrent infections, delayed wound healing, and reduced life expectancy. Dr. Garg stated that metabolic surgery has emerged as one of the most effective, evidence-based treatment options for eligible patients with Type 2 diabetes.
He explained that unlike conventional treatments, which focus solely on controlling blood sugar, metabolic surgery addresses the body's underlying hormonal and metabolic abnormalities. This leads to long-term relief from diabetes, improves quality of life, and offers protection against serious diabetes-related complications.
Emphasizing the importance of early treatment, Dr. Garg noted that patients diagnosed recently—and whose pancreatic function remains intact—have the highest likelihood of achieving long-term remission from diabetes.
Ashish Chadha, Group CEO (North) of Park Hospitals, stated that the hospital is empanelled with CAPF, the governments of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, as well as major TPAs, corporate organizations, and insurance providers.