Page 45 - IFSO-History-Book-Digital-File

After the introduction of the VBG in 1980 by Professor Ed Mason, Professor Kai-Mo Chen performed
the first gastric partition in Taiwan in 1981, and, in Japan, the first was performed by Professor Isao
Kawamura in 1982, and in Singapore by Dr. Thiow Kong Ti in 1987.
Dr. Isao Kawamura hosted an International MBS Meeting in 1992 in Kyoto, Japan, with discussions of
vertical banded gastroplasty and fixed bands, and other procedures, and this conference was
highlighted by geisha at the Gala Dinner tables where Dr. Kawamura sang a wonderful version of
“Some Enchanted Evening,” a song from the musical “South Pacific”, on karaoke.

The first laparoscopic gastric band in India was demonstrated by Dr. Harry Frydenberg by invitation
from Professor Pradeep Chowbey in New Delhi, India, in 2002 at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, an old
British colonial hospital. By 2003, the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital had built a new hospital facility
consisting of 20 surgical theater suites. South Korea started their MBS program in 2003. The program
increased significantly over the next 10 years with its major procedure, the adjustable gastric band,
followed by Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy.
It was in Seoul, Korea that the Asia Pacific Bariatric Surgery Group (APBSG) was founded in October
2004, and the first Asia Pacific Bariatric Consensus Meeting was held in February 2005 in Taipei,
Taiwan. In 1995, the concept for the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity was codified
in Stockholm, Sweden; thereafter, many Asia Pacific surgeons attended IFSO world congresses,
presenting their data and experiences from the region. The concept of an IFSO Asia Pacific Chapter
(IFSO-APC) came about in around 2008-2009 after much discussion and many meetings with the
leaders at that time of the APMBSS society, the local Asia Pacific Metabolic Bariatric Surgical group
at the time.
In a meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Dr. Frydenberg met with Professor Chowbey, Professor Kawamura,
and Professor Lee and the local Malaysian society to negotiate the formation of the IFSO-APC. This
face-to-face meeting allowed leaders from the Asia Pacific region to “trust” the IFSO proposal to
form the chapter which would include the APMBSS Society, which to this day has a close association
with IFSO-APC.
In September-October 2008, IFSO-APC was founded, and its constitution passed by the IFSO
Executive Board at the IFSO World Congress in Argentina. The first IFSO-APC meeting was held in
March 2009, together with the Australian OSSANZ meeting in Cairns, Australia. This was attended by
150 people with representatives from India, Japan, HK, Taiwan, Singapore, UAE, Africa, the US, UK,
and Europe. IFSO-APC is one of five IFSO chapters with member countries across the Asia Pacific
region, including: Australia-New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Indonesia, Japan, Korea,
Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand.

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