By Olivia Miwil - July 29, 2021 @ 9:58am
LAHAD DATU: After suffering for almost two decades with a swelling on his right cheek and frequent nose blocks, life for Alfan Mollie looks set to change for the better.
A medical team led by Oral and Maxillo-facial surgeon Dr Rubinderan Muthusamy has since offered the 48-year-old auxiliary policeman at a bank here new hope.
According to Alfan, he began to feel pain a few months ago and went to the dentist, where he was referred to a hospital for the swelling.
"There, Dr Rubinderan recommended I go for surgery, I was hesitant about the treatment at the hospital due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but I just went for it as I was worried it might get worse.
"Despite Lahad Datu being considered a rural district, the service was tip-top with some of the team members coming down from Kuala Lumpur for my operation," he said, adding the treatment costs, which was much lower than private hospitals, was borne by his employer.
Alfan from Kampung Cocos here was diagnosed with maxilla fibrous dysplasia (developmental disorder of the upper jaw bone) with extension to the eye areas.
Dr Rubinderan said the patient needed a total removal of the jaw assisted with portable technology dubbed the "navigation system" which gives higher accuracy and safety during surgical manipulation.
He added Alfan was also the first person in the country to get a specific implant for the bones removed from his face.
"I brought the technology here because it has become portable after it came out almost 20 years ago.
"Treatment provided must be parallel to the technological advancement for better treatment quality and outcomes," he said.
Also in the team are Oral and Maxillo-facial Team - Dr. Saravanan Gopalan, Dr. Jeremy Lee Ju Kuan, Dr. G.K. Ananda, neurosurgeon Dr Prabu Rao, radiologist Dr Andre Yee Yue Ming and Lahad Datu hospital's anaesthesiology department.
Apart from Alfan, Dr Rubinderan added that the navigation system technology had also been used for patients, Mohd Haizam Safiq Mazlan who had ameloblastoma and road accident victim Jalani Russin who suffered facial bone fracture.
Both the patients are in their twenties and are recovering well, two months after their surgeries.
Hospital director Dr Ridwan Hashim said due to the Covid-19 pandemic, surgeries were focused on life threatening and emergency cases.
"As our patients are mostly from here, instead of having to travel to other districts during the pandemic, our hospital offered to do the navigation surgery here.
"We also get help and experts from other hospitals to assist with the surgery," he said, adding Dr Rubinderan had conducted about 15 surgeries related to cancer or trauma.
The Lahad Datu hospital is a 268-bed minor specialist hospital and conducted a total 3,512 surgeries last year.
Comments
Post a Comment