Gastric Sleeve Surgery in Saudi Arabia

Hi all,

I am currently assessing gastric surgery options in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

There has been an explosion in the number of places offering this surgery and the prices have fallen by half in the last 5 years.

So far I have been to two hospitals and met with the surgeons. I also considered travelling to Jordan for the surgery, but with recent advancements in Saudi clinical practice, I think I will stay local.

1. Specialised Medical Center (SMC) - Dr Abdurrahman Salem, is an experienced professional with over 20 years of experience in bariatric procedures. He spent over an hour and half going through the process, the pros and cons, and he assessed me for surgery.

The cost at this clinic is SR 25k ($6,666) plus post operations med of around 1k, with three nights stay included in this price. Dr Salem was recommended to me by three people to two of whom had surgery three years ago and were very pleased with the dr and his team. Incidentally all three look trim and slim !

2. Dr Soliman Habeeb Hospital - One of the largest private hospitals in Riyadh, use Dr Awad Al-Qahtani as their main surgeon. My appointment with him was shorter and one thing I liked was he outlined the risks to me, and what he and his team do to reduce these risks. The cost at Dr Soliman Habeeb Hospital is SR 20 k ( $5,333) but there is only a 1 night stay post operation. Soliman Habeeb are performing a huge number of these operations which is good, as they have now have a lot of experience.

I am probably going to go with Dr Soliman Habeeb, as I their hospital is closer to my home and things like parking are more convenient.

I would recommend both.