Ten Years of Change in Bariatric/Metabolic Surgery in the Asia–Pacific Region with COVID-19 Pandemic: IFSO-APC National Reports 2021

Background: On November 25, 2021, the IFSO-Asia–Pacific Chapter (IFSO-APC) Virtual Meeting 2021 was held online, and the representatives from the Asia–Pacific region presented 10 years of change in bariatric/metabolic surgery and the influence of COVID-19 in the special session of “IFSO-APC National Reports 2010–2020”. We herein report the summarized data. Methods: National bariatric/metabolic surgery data, which included the data of 2010 and 2020, were collected from the representatives using a questionnaire that consisted of 10 general questions. At the congress, the data were calculated and summarized. Results: Thirteen of the 14 national societies responded to the survey. From 2010 to recent years, the populations of individuals with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²) and individuals with diabetes both significantly increased. Eight countries and regions expanded the lower limit of criteria for bariatric surgery by 2–5 kg/m² (BMI), and 5 countries newly established criteria for metabolic surgery in the last ten years. Sixty-nine percent of the countries currently run public health insurance systems, which doubled from 2010. The number of bariatric surgeons and institutions increased more than threefold from 2010. In 2010, 2019, and 2020, surgeons in IFSO-APC societies performed 18,280, 66,010, and 49,553 bariatric/metabolic surgeries, respectively. Due to the COVID pandemic, restriction policies significantly reduced access to surgery in South and Southeast Asian countries. The biggest changes included increased numbers of bariatric surgeons and institutions, operation numbers, public insurance coverage, raising awareness, and national registry systems. Conclusion: For the last 10 years, bariatric/metabolic surgery has rapidly grown in the Asia–Pacific region.