The king ordered Khalid
bin Mohsen Shaari, who weighs 1,345 pounds (610kg) and is unable to move
by himself, be transferred from the Southern border province of Jazan
to the country's capital Riyadh to undergo treatment.
According to Guinness
World Records, the record weight for a living person is held by Manuel
Uribe from Mexico, who weighed 1,235 pounds (560kg) in 2006. After
making a television appeal for help, his weight in March 2012 had fallen
to 980 pounds (444.6 kg.)
Khalid bin Mohsen Shaari weighs 1,345 pounds (610kg) and is unable to move by himself.
According to the official
spokesman for Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health, Shaari was due to
arrive in Riyadh either later Monday or on Tuesday. Pictures showed a
fork-lift truck lifting him in is bed. The spokesman said Shaari is aged
between 18 and 20.
He will be treated at the
King Fahd Medical City, and undergo a series of dietary and physical
programs in order to help him lose weight, the spokesman said. Although
surgery is not scheduled at the moment, the Ministry of Health says it
has not been ruled out. Special beds and trolleys have been made for
him.
This case highlights how obesity is a growing problem in the Gulf.
According to the U.N.,
Kuwait has the highest proportion of obese adults in the Middle East,
with 42.8% of its population considered severely overweight. Saudi
Arabia follows at 35.2%.
The growth of obesity in
the region is also an economic concern. According to a report by Frost
& Sullivan, healthcare spending across the Gulf will triple to
$133.2 billion by 2018, mainly as a result of lifestyle diseases.
No comments:
Post a Comment