A famous hospital diverts poor patients through weight loss surgery
Early one morning in February, a guard knocked on the door of David Mustiga’s jail cell on Rikers Island. Soon, the 43-year-old was chained and put on a bus to Bellevue.
Rikers inmates often struggle to receive even rudimentary medical care. But Mr. Mustiga and 10 other inmates have undergone elective bariatric surgery in Bellevue, often spending weeks in the hospital.
Even under the best of circumstances, it is difficult to recover from bariatric surgery. Trying to recover in prison, where inmates have little control over what they eat and how quickly they eat it, is especially difficult.
Mr. Miller said Rikers patients were “screened and assessed just like everyone else” and held at Bellevue until they were ready to eat the type of food available at the prison.
Mr Mustiga, who was later convicted of drug trafficking, weighed more than 100 kilos and had high blood pressure. Months earlier, he was excited when an employee at Rikers Medical Clinic first told him about the benefits of bariatric surgery. He said no one warned him about the challenges of recovering while in captivity.
When Mr. Mustiga boarded the bus to Bellevue, he thought it was for a short visit to get blood work done in preparation for surgery. Instead, he was admitted to the hospital’s locked prison ward and put on a liquid diet.
There he met another patient awaiting bariatric surgery, Luis Perez. The men bonded over their diets and worked together to steal leftovers from their neighbors’ hospital trays.
Mr. Perez, who was awaiting sentencing for drug possession, underwent surgery first. He then told Mr Mustiga that the pain was worse than when he had been hit by a car and lost his arm above the elbow.
Mr. Mustiga panicked. He said he tried to withdraw from the surgery, but a doctor told him it was his only chance to get the procedure and that if he didn’t go through with it, he would be sent back to prison immediately.
Mr Mustiga said he often used the same pressure techniques on his drug clients. “Tell someone it’s their last chance, and they find their wallets pretty quickly,” Mr. Mustiga said.
He decided to undergo the operation.
After surgery, patients should consume small, protein-rich meals.
Back at Rikers, Mr. Mustiga traded cigarettes for protein powder. He looked at a Bellevue brochure that outlined the dos and don’ts after surgery. It suggested he eat low-fat Greek yogurt or drink eight cups of Crystal Light. Exercise tips include trying a Zumba dance class.
Mr. Mustiga did not receive proper nutrition. He said he has lost more than 50 pounds in less than six months — a weight loss that could be dangerous. His hair fell out in clumps and his medical records show that he was given iron supplements for anemia.
This summer, Mr. Perez was transferred to Franklin Correctional, a prison near the Canadian border, to serve a four-year prison sentence.
During an August visit with two Times reporters, Mr. Perez’s skin was sallow. He said he wasn’t getting enough protein and couldn’t eat without vomiting. He feared the operation had made him a target in prison, where size matters for protection.
Two months later, Mr. Perez was severely beaten. He said his attackers stole the protein powder he had been saving.