KOTA KINABALU: Tawau Hospital has set a new milestone after successfully performing its first awake craniotomy on Monday (Feb 23).
In a statement on Wednesday, the Sabah Health Department said the procedure involves operating on a patient’s brain while the person remains semi-conscious, allowing doctors to monitor neurological responses in real time.
The surgery was carried out on a 48-year-old woman who had been suffering from brain lesions since last November. The operation was led by Dr Tan Shze Ee and Dr Andy Yap Teck Cheng, with support from Dr Ting Mei Sze, the Tawau anaesthesia team, and neuroanaesthetists from Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Queen Elizabeth II Hospital.
The two-and-a-half-hour procedure went smoothly, with the patient showing a positive response and currently reported to be in stable condition under close monitoring. She had previously undergone early treatment, which did not yield improvement.
The department said awake craniotomy allows surgeons to assess progress during the operation and detect potential side effects immediately, improving both precision and patient safety.
“With this successful surgery, Tawau Hospital has demonstrated its readiness to provide quality healthcare services on par with state hospitals,” the statement said.
It added that residents on Sabah’s east coast would now be able to access specialised care locally, reducing the need for referrals to tertiary hospitals and helping patients avoid additional travel and treatment costs.
“The Sabah Health Department will continue to strengthen specialist services and expand access to quality medical care for the benefit of the people,” it said.
