Heaviest Man Alive Airlifted to Hospital in Saudi Arabia

Shaari being transferred to
Medical Center

By Kochava Rozenbaum

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah took part in assisting the heaviest man alive, Khalid bin Mohsen Shaari, who weighs 1,345 pound (610kg), to the country’s capital Riyadh for medical treatments.

The obese young man had to be fork-lifted from his apartment bedroom to an airlift heading to the King Fahd Medical City, reported CNN yesterday.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health spokesman said that Shaari, who is between the ages of 18 and 20, is unable to move and hasn’t left his apartment in over 2 years.

Shaari will undergo a series of dietary and physical programs in order to help him lose weight at the King Fahd Medical City, the spokesman said. Although surgery is not scheduled at the moment, the Ministry of Health says it has not been ruled out. Special beds and trolleys have been made for him.

Manuel Uribe, resident of Mexico, is the current holder of the Guinness World Records’ heaviest man. Uribe weighed 1,235 pounds (560kg) in 2006, but later shed weight after making a television appeal for help. He now weighs 980 pounds (444.6 kg).

Saudi Arabia has a growing rate of obesity among its population. 35.2% of Saudi Arabia’s adults are considered severely overweight. The growth of obesity in the region is correlated to its economic growth. Fast food chains and the lack of exercise among the population are causing an estimated 1 in 3 Saudis to be overweight.