The newly set up obesity clinic at the taluk hospital in Kuttiyadi is proving to be a boon for those concerned about their body weight. It is a first-of-its-kind facility in the government sector in Kozhikode district.
Amal Jyothi, medical officer who is serving at the clinic, said on Monday that the idea of an exclusive clinic to treat obesity was part of efforts to control lifestyle diseases in the region. “There are a lot of women in this area, especially homemakers, who are found to be suffering from obesity which is leading to lifestyle diseases,” said Dr. Jyothi.
A woman from the area who had a body weight of around 110 kg sought treatment at the hospital some time ago. It was found that she had hypertension too. Through regular exercise and diet control, she was able to reduce her body weight to 70 kg in a year. With this, she was able to control her blood pressure too. Hearing about this, her relatives and acquaintances too enquired about the treatment. That was what inspired the authorities to set up a clinic exclusively to treat obesity at the hospital, said Dr. Jyothi.
The clinic offers the services of a doctor, a dietician, and a nurse.
Those who reach the hospital are first asked to check their body mass index, blood sugar, and blood pressure. If there are anomalies, medicines are prescribed and they are referred to the dietician. The patients are asked to change their food habits, considering their socio-economic background, and regular exercise is suggested. Their condition is reviewed after a month and regularly followed up later. The staff at the clinic said that those who were underweight, including children, could also seek the clinic’s services.
The lifestyle diseases clinic at the hospital was recently named the best such facility in the district by the government. The hospital had also won the Kayakalp Award for the best government hospitals, in recognition of infection control and maintenance of hygiene.
