Bariatric Surgery in Port Elizabeth with a Contract Guarantee

Experienced bariatric surgeons carry out bariatric operations at the clinic:

• Ruslan S. Menzulin — bariatric surgeon and surgical oncologist, 9 years of experience. Trained at Mercy clinic (USA) under Vadim Gushchin, spoke at the World Congress of bariatric surgery in Santiago (2025). Co-author of an international study published in The Lancet.
• Andrey G. Ugay — lead bariatric surgeon, 27 years of experience. Has performed the largest number of SASJ operations in the country. Expert council member of the national Society of Bariatric Surgeons.

Send us a message to have our coordinator contact you shortly and book your consultation; the bariatric surgeon consultation costs nothing.

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Surgery is prescribed only when clear criteria are met

• The patient's body mass index (BMI)
• Overall health and any related chronic conditions
• Earlier attempts to lose weight by conventional means have failed

BMI is the key measure used to assess how severe obesity is. You get it by dividing body weight (kg) by height squared (m²). Surgery is generally justified at a BMI above 40, or above 35 when serious related conditions are present. Sometimes it is also considered at lower values — when non-surgical methods have not worked.

Many confuse the two, yet their purposes are fundamentally different. Bariatric surgery is medicine's treatment for obesity and related diseases: it changes how the digestive tract operates and addresses the causes of excess weight and metabolism. Plastic surgery reshapes outer contours of the body without treating obesity or affecting metabolism.

City Medical Centre offers four main types of bariatric surgery: sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, mini gastric bypass (MGB) and SADI-S duodeno-ileal bypass. The method is chosen individually according to BMI, related conditions and the patient's goals.

Our approach is modern laparoscopic technique: 4 small punctures of 5 to 15 mm. We use cosmetic sutures, so the marks turn almost invisible after healing.

Recovery is tied to what you do. Office work: after 2–4 weeks. Physical work: after 1.5 months. Sport and activity: you may swim after 30 days, and other exercise is added bit by bit as weight drops. Travel and holidays: best left until at least a month after surgery.

Stage by stage, you move from liquid food to soft and then solid. Priority goes to protein, and high-calorie, fatty food is limited.

It is possible to get pregnant after bariatric surgery, but doctors recommend a minimum wait of 12–18 months. During it the body stabilizes, weight reaches its target and nutritional status is normalized.

Yes, vitamins after bariatric surgery are a must. Because the digestive anatomy changes, the body absorbs some nutrients less well, so regular vitamin and mineral supplements become a permanent part of the patient's life.

Regaining weight after bariatric surgery is possible, yet very unlikely when you stick to the doctor's advice. The keys are proper nutrition, no high-calorie drinks and regular check-ups with City Medical Centre specialists.