Anaesthetist Dr Marco Meijer wants people who get fit for surgery to use it as a blueprint for how they should live the rest of their lives.
An anaesthetist at Whanganui hospital wants patients going for elective surgery to go further than just being prepared to go under the knife.
The Whanganui DHB and Sport Whanganui have launched a new programme to help patients lose weight and improve their fitness levels before elective surgery.
And Whanganui DHB's
head anaesthetist Dr Marco Meijer wants those patients to use the way they get fit before surgery as a blueprint for how they should live after surgery.
"The aim of the Fit for Surgery, Fit for Life programme is to bring about a lifestyle change that will see significantly overweight patients reduce their weight and lift their fitness levels for surgery while continuing to maintain these changes for the rest of their life," Meijer said.
Meijer was concerned overweight patients increased the risk of having slow recovery after general anaesthetic as well as having blood clots, breathing difficulties, wound infections and complications with pain relief, during and after surgery.