The majority of health care in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland is administered through the NHS, the health care services run by the British government that offers certain services for free. There are two main hospitals in the city, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Western General. Both are run by NHS Lothian, which also runs a total of 27 hospitals in the Edinburgh and Lothians areas. Both Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and Western General are within easy reach of the city centre.

As well as main and local hospitals, there are also numerous local GPs throughout the city of Edinburgh and the surrounding areas. Details on certain health services are on www.gastricbands.co.uk.

Another popular health service found in Edinburgh is the University Health Centre. Located on the premises of the University of Edinburgh it is run by the NHS and is open to the general public, not just students of the university.

As well as the NHS there are a number of private health care companies that operate within Edinburgh that specialise in certain areas, from dental health care services to weight loss surgery specialists.

General Private health care services also include two main hospitals within Edinburgh. Murrayfield Hospital in the west of the city and Shawfield Hospital in the south. Both are private and owned by Spire Healthcare.

Both Murrayfield and Shawfield offer weight loss surgery. The primary surgeries that are used for weight loss are the gastric bypass surgery, gastric band and gastric balloon. All three work in similar ways, operating in the stomach to manipulate either the flow or portions of food that are consumed.

A gastric bypass works by connecting the intestines to the top part of the stomach, missing out the lower stomach and upper intestines, where the majority of calories are absorbed into the system. A gastric band and balloon work by reducing the portions of food that can be eaten by the patient. While a band restricts the size of the stomach, a gastric balloon is inflated inside the stomach, reducing the capacity within.